Comfortable in the dark
by Yellow Words
Summary: Luke suddenly finds himself the legal guardian over two teenage boys, Jess and his best friend Terry. They both come from broken homes and are suddenly moved to Stars Hollow. Lit & Java Junkie
1. Water is thicker than blood

A/N: **A warning:** I mention child abuse, drugs and alcohol in this chapter.  
So I hope you will like this. Please read and review. This is my very first fanfiction that I have actually had the guts to put out there.  
I'm portraying Jess as really broken here but I hope he still comes across like the Jess we saw on the show, at least in some ways.

I also want to thank my amazing beta **HelloSunshine89**, without her this would be impossible.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 1 – Water is thicker than blood.

* * *

Jess woke up in a room that he didn't recognize. It looked a lot like a jail cell. The door with metal bars on it was a dead giveaway since he was pretty sure his mother hadn't replaced his door to his room in an attempt to keep him inside the apartment.

She had never cared **that** much about him or his safety.

For a few minutes he had no idea why he was in jail or what had happened. All he knew was that his whole body was in pain.

Pulling up his shirt, he could see bruises that covered his chest and stomach. His left arm was in a cast. He began to panic, desperately trying to remember what had happened.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

He let out a groan thinking about yesterday. He hid his head under a pillow in an attempt to escape the reality of the world for just a little bit longer.

Yesterday had been a really, really bad day.

He had missed the last day of school before summer break and he couldn't help but feel defeated. This year he had been trying so hard in school and he had done really well and kind of enjoyed it. He had managed to impress all of his teachers and a few of the top students had thrown him dirty looks. He had enjoyed being on top.

He had been the underdog that no one had believed in. The satisfaction he got from proving everyone wrong was what kept him alive for the past year.

To him school became another way to get away from his everyday life, his mother, the apartment and the boyfriends. School became his outlet. There he could be someone else and not the kid that got into fights and got beaten up at home. At school, he could avoid himself.

There he was successful for the first time in his life and nobody could take that away from him. Every day he had fought to make sure no one took his success from him and it felt really fucking good.

He had looked forward to the last day of school before the summer like every other kid; but at the same time, he had dreaded it.

The last day meant that he had to spend a lot more time at the apartment. Most of his friends would be going on vacations with their families and he would be left all alone.

He used to stay with Terry, his best friend. They had met when they were four years old. Terry and his family had moved from Manchester, England when a company hired his dad. The job was short lived and the family was soon forced to move to the 'poorer' part of town and since then the boys had been inseparable.

Terry was also the only one that knew the extent of Jess's situation. He knew about the abusive boyfriends, his alcoholic and drug abusing mother and her coldness towards her son. He was also the only one that truly understood because the only difference between Jess and Terry was that it was Terry's biological father that beat him and not temporary boyfriends.

Terry had been "sick" for the past three days, so Jess had spent a lot of time in the apartment. Jess knew better than to go look for Terry on days when he was "sick." The first time it had happened Jess had gone over to his house to check on him.

Terry's mother opened the door and Jess ran past her to Terry's room, like he usually did. When he opened the door he stood there, frozen. Terry was sitting on his bed with an empty look in his eyes and a swollen face. Neither boy spoke but a silent understanding had been forged between them that day. Jess stood there until Terry's mother forced him out of the house.

That was the day she had started to hate Jess. It took years until Jess realized the reason for her hate- it was because he had seen the truth, what she allowed to happen to her own son.

That night Terry's father came home drunk and his mother told him that Jess had visited and that lead to one of the worst nights in Terry's life. After that, Jess stopped visiting when Terry called and said he was "sick."

* * *

He had a headache. The jail cell was spinning.

Liz had brought home another winner for a boyfriend early in the morning and when he saw Jess, he had snarled at him to get out.

Jess was more than happy to oblige him and went into the kitchen to grab something to eat before leaving the apartment to head to school. His new 'daddy' apparently didn't like sharing food and shoved his face into the refrigerator door before throwing him out.

He was bleeding from a cut above his left eyebrow and knew his eye would start to bruise soon. He had to stay away from school. If he went, they would be forced to call the police and that would end badly for both him and Liz.

Even if it was Liz's fault for bringing the man home, he felt a need to protect her. And not going to the police was the only way he could.

_~Flashback.~  
After the first boyfriend had laid his hands on Jess, they had both been in shock. Liz about how broken someone had made her son look and Jess about the fact that his mother had done nothing to stop it. She had just stood there in the same room, looking as someone beat up her own son._

_They went to the police, thinking everything was going to be fine. But things rarely work out that way. It had backfired on them-big time. The man had come back, given them both a beating neither would ever forget and then stolen everything valuable they owned. _

_The police hadn't been able to do a thing about it. The man had disappeared and was impossible to track down. After that they kept their mouths shut and never spoke about the incident. _

_That was also that day that Jess had started to despise his mother. It had been his sixth birthday and there had been no cake, presents or birthday wishes. _

_Instead he had spent the day surrounded by doctors and police officers while he was wondering what he had done so wrong to cause his mother to take his birthday away._

* * *

He got out on the streets and sat on the sidewalk in an alley behind his building, waiting for the bleeding to stop. If he couldn't go to school, he wanted to go to his park and read. He liked to consider it his park, Washington Square Park, where he spent a lot of his time. In a way, the park felt more like a home than the apartment ever had.

When he was sitting there reading his life didn't feel like shit. He felt normal, like any other person that was coming to the park to just enjoy the day. To him just sitting there and losing himself in the words that were written on the pages was the closest to comfort and stability he ever came.

But today he had been thrown out before he had a chance to grab a book. Hell, he didn't even grab his leather jacket, meaning no wallet, so he couldn't buy any food. Standing up on the sidewalk, he thought about going back to grab his things.

He could sneak in and out quickly, before anyone noticed. He had done it before. With determination, he walked back inside the building and up the stairs.

He put his ear to the door, holding his breath, but he couldn't hear anything. The door was unlocked which meant they were probably still inside. Bracing himself, he opened the door, slowly and listened, holding his breath. No sounds could be heard, except for the refrigerator humming.

Slowly, he started to sneak through the apartment to his room while, at the same time, trying to see where they could be.

The living room was empty, as was the kitchen, but the door to Liz's room was closed. Still, no sounds could be heard, so he guessed they were asleep in there.

Letting out the breath he had been holding, he quickly walked to his room, trying to avoid stepping on the places that would make the floor creak.

When he gathered his things, he heard a door slam, cursing under his breath as he heard heavy footsteps walking from Liz's room towards him.

The man from earlier walked in, his eyes red and puffy and pupils dilated. Before Jess could do or say anything the man grabbed him by his shoulders, painfully. They both knew there would be bruises there tomorrow and the man smiled, knowingly.

"I thought I told you to get the hell out. You're disturbing your mother with your presence!" the man screamed in his face. He smelled of alcohol.

Great, both high and drunk, Jess thought. What a nice combination.

"I just came to grab my stuff," Jess answered, trying his best to not show any fear. He kept his voice soft and quiet in an attempt not to anger the man anymore than he already had.

This was not the answer the man had been looking for because suddenly his fist connected with Jess's face. He could taste blood in his mouth by the third punch and by the fifth, his nose started gushing, leaving a trail of blood on his clothes and the carpeted floor.

The adrenaline was pumping through his body so he couldn't feel any pain at the moment. By the ninth punch, Jess slipped on the pool of blood on the floor and fell. He tried to protect his face with his arms as the man started kicking him.

He had learned that by not fighting back, the beating would end sooner than if he fought back. This way they were more likely to leave Liz out of it and only focus on him.

He could take the physical pain (he was used to it); it made him feel like a human being. When Liz's boyfriends hit her she became a shell, an outline of what a human being is, or what a human is supposed to be. There was nothing alive in her at those moments. But as long as he could feel pain, Jess knew he was still alive and that was something he clung to.

Liz appeared in the doorframe and he could hear her trying to reason with the man that was still kicking him. After a few more kicks, the man stopped and embraced Liz, mumbling something about 'the boy needing to learn to respect his elders,' and stalked off to the kitchen.

Liz went to Jess's side and helped him to sit on his bed. She touched his face just a little too hard and her gaze held no compassion. There was no motherly love in her action. He winced back from her touch and he could tell she was high, again.

She looked him straight in the eyes as she talked, her voice low and ice-cold.

"Why do you always have to irritate them? This would never happen if you could behave yourself. It's your fault that they always leave me." His heart sank as she once again chose a man over him.

They had never had a loving relationship but it still hurt him every time she did this.

"Why do you always choose these scumbags over you own son? When they have used you for a while they move on, leaving me behind to pick up the pieces." He didn't have it in him anymore to fight the heartbreak and sadness that crept into his voice.

Before she could answer the man came back in with a bottle of beer that he drank in one big swoop. He looked at the pair on the bed. "You should kick him out, Liz. I know you don't want him, you told me last night that he was a mistake. Something you wish you could take back to the store and get your money back for." He looked at Jess when he said this and finished with a sly smile.

Jess was shocked. No matter how bad their relationship had been he had never thought his mother regretted him, a mistake, something she could just throw away. He looked at her and there it was, regret written all over her face.

She spoke quietly, as if she was afraid of her own words. There was no silver lining in what she said.

"Jess, I think it's time for you to go away. Move out. Maybe get an apartment and a job. From now on you're no longer my responsibility."

The man smiled at her as she got up and kissed him. "That's my girl," he said, proudly, and she beamed at him.

Jess was still sitting on the bed. The gushing from his nose had slowed down a little. He tried to understand what was happening.

He turned his head to Liz and screamed, "I'm fifteen! I'm still in school! You can't just kick me out! Fuck Liz, when are you going to get your life together?"

This time when Liz looked at him it was with hatred and she walked up to him and slapped him hard on the cheek.

"You better go now, Jess, before Bob will be forced to discipline you, again. Call or write with your new address so I can send you your stuff."

Jess had to bite down on his lip to keep from crying. Was Liz really throwing him out? He would be forced to quit school and get a job. What had he done that was so horrible that made his own mother throw him out? What had he done that made his own mother hate him so much?

When he didn't move Bob walked up to him and took him by his left arm, twisting it back. Jess could hear bone break but didn't care. Bob walked towards the front door and threw him out.

"Don't you dare come back here! This is my home now," he yelled. The door slammed shut and he could hear Bob locking it.

Jess walked outside the apartment building and sat down against a wall. The nosebleed had stopped but his left wrist was twisted in an unnatural way and he was starving and aching. For the last two days he had only eaten two apples. Liz had used up all their money for the month so he had stolen the two apples from a student at school.

He ignored the pain and started walking the streets, cringing with every painful step. He really needed to eat, so he went into a store and started to pick up a few things that didn't require him to cook, when he suddenly realized that he didn't have his wallet. It must have fallen out of his jacket in the apartment.

Knowing what he had to do, he scanned the store. It was almost empty. He could only see three customers and a young woman that was working there. He had done it before and he really needed to eat, so he put a few items in his jacket and headed towards the exit.

When he was a few feet from the doors he felt a hand on his shoulder. He tried to run but the hand had a strong grip.

"Well well, what have we here? Someone that thinks it's okay to steal from me." A deep voice said.

Jess cursed as he was forced around and came face to face with the person the hand belonged to. He was glad that he had put the hood of his sweatshirt over his face so the man couldn't see his face.

He was probably the owner of the store, Jess guessed, as he found himself being pushed inside a small office while the guy talked about pressing charges.

The guy had called the police and locked the door to the office. He was alone in there and took a seat on the visitor's side of the desk that was placed in the middle of the room. The room was dark. Jess liked it.

His head swirled with thoughts. He didn't care that he got caught shoplifting; it had happened before. But he had been kicked out and had nowhere to go and no one wanted anything to do with him. His mother wanted nothing to do with him.

Maybe he could crash with Terry for a while. There were two weeks before they would travel home to Manchester to visit family. But after that he had no idea what he would do. Terry and his family would be gone the whole summer. Maybe if he explained the situation to his family he could stay at their apartment while they were gone.

Jess highly doubted it, though, because Terry's mother hated his guts. According to her, it was Jess's fault that Terry continued to get into trouble all the time. Maybe that was true.

To hell with Liz, he thought after a while, but still, he felt like a little boy who wanted his mommy. Jess realized that it was the feeling of being totally alone that hurt the most. Liz had never really taken care of him so he was used to her absence, but he had never felt more alone than at this moment.

He cursed himself for behaving like a small child and forced back the tears that were threatening to fall.

The door to the office opened and the guy came in and turned on the light. In his hands were a few papers that he appeared to be reading. He explained that he was the owner of the store and that the police would come soon.

He didn't look up at Jess until he sat at the opposite side of the desk. When he finally put the papers down he reached over the desk and pulled his hood down. When he took in Jess' beaten face, his eyes filled with sadness.

Without saying a word he walked out again and came in moments later with two sandwiches and a coke. He gave them to Jess and when he spoke, it was in a softer tone.

"I'm sorry, son. I know this is a bad neighborhood and I can tell you've had a rough day but I still need to report you. But I won't press charges."

At this Jess looked up and nodded, hoping the man could see his gratefulness.

The man shot him a sad smile and said that the police would probably just take him down to the station, patch him up and contact his family so someone could come and get him.

At this his heart sank. Liz would never come for him.


	2. Tell me this night is over

Disclaimer: I still don't own Gilmore Girls.

A/N: I don't really know how all the legal stuff works so if any of it is wrong (which I'm sure it is) just go with it.

A special thanks and shout out to my amazing beta **HelloSunshine89**, you're a lifesaver! And thanks to all of you who reviewed and/or put the story on alert or favorite. It means a lot.

Chapter 2 – Tell me this night is over

* * *

So there he was. Alone. In a cell. By the time they had processed him, it was starting to get dark outside.

He had been there over twelve hours and no one had come to get him.

When the sun finally set, he felt even more alone. Before, he rejoiced in the darkness. But now it felt like an enemy. Feelings that were best left alone, that he didn't want to dwell on, would be remembered or harsh words would repeat in his head.

The only time he ever admitted to wanting a real family was when he was alone in the darkness. Or, if not a family, at least someone that would care whether or not he came home at the end of the day. But wanting that was a weakness and he had learned long ago not to show any signs of weakness.

The police officers were holding him until a family member could pick him up. His face was swollen in different shades of red and purple. They had called down a doctor who cleaned him up and put his arm in a cast and he had been forced to stitch a few of the cuts on his face. The doctor had also concluded that he had one cracked rib and had instructed him to take it slow for the next two weeks and gave him some pills for the pain.

When the police officers had asked him who had done this he told them everything, no longer caring if it came back too bite Liz in the ass.

For years, he had been the strong one. He had made sure there was food in the fridge when Liz was too high or drunk to do anything. When she passed out, he had made sure she got to her bed and not choked on her own vomit. He had put up with abusive boyfriends and husbands and if this was how she showed her gratitude then fuck her.

Two officers left for the apartment and after a while they came back with Bob in cuffs. Bob screamed at Jess and said he needed more discipline and that he would see to it as soon as they let him go. Jess curled into a ball on the bed, holding back his tears, cursing himself for being so broken. He had promised himself that this would never happen, that none of her men could break him.

After Bob had been brought in it didn't take long before Liz came storming into the station, demanding to see Jess. She walked right up to Jess with tears in her eyes and said that she wouldn't sign his release forms and begged him to take back the charges against Bob. When he had refused she turned around and walked out but stopped by the commanding officer's desk and said, "Call my big brother, Lucas, in Stars Hallow and see if he wants the boy. I sure as hell don't."

The officer looked stunned. "Ma'am, we can only release him in the custody of a legal guardian." Maybe the boy would be better off without her, he thought.

"Well, I guess Luke is his guardian now", she said, then turned and walked away, not even looking back at her son once.

The commanding officer felt his heart breaking at the sight of Jess. No child should have to go through this. He turned on a computer and searched for a Lucas in Stars Hallow. He would do whatever he could to find him. This boy would not end up to be just another number in the statistics.

There was only one Lucas listed in Stars Hallow. He decided to call the next morning. The clock was well past midnight and he needed to go home and catch some sleep before his morning shift.

* * *

The diner was busy as two girls walked in. They begun to scan the place for a table but they were all taken.

The older of the two spoke first. "Okay, here's the plan my darling daughter, you go to the left and I go to the right and I'm sure we can work our charm on someone here. We have to get a table because I have to get my coffee now otherwise I will start to disintegrate and then you will have to..."

"…Mom!" Rory interrupted her ranting mother.

She pointed to the counter and said, "There, we can sit at the counter. That way you will be closer to the coffee and you don't have to worry about disintegrating." She finished, putting a hand on her mother's back, guiding her to the counter.

"Offspring, you are so smart. You make mommy very proud." She said as she let her daughter lead her to the counter to sit down.

When they made it there they saw two full cups already waiting for them. Lorelai caught Luke's eye as she smiled at him and he nodded at her.

She took a big sip, savoring the taste.

"Ah, he's a fine man that Luke Danes." She said, causing Rory to almost choke on the coffee in her mouth.

"Mom, please! I don't want you talking about Luke like that. He provides us with food and coffee."

"Sorry", Lorelai mumbled but couldn't keep herself from adding: "And all that plaid and the baseball cap. He's such a catch"

"Mom please, I know you have a crush on Luke but no joking about him like that. At least wait until after breakfast."

"I don't have a crush on Luke!" Lorelai said, shocked. "Why would you even think that?"

Before Rory had the chance to answer, the phone in the diner started to ring and Caesar answered it. "Luke's."… "Yes sir"… "No sir, I'm not Luke"… "Yes sir, please hold for a moment."

"Luke! There is a police officer asking for you." At this the whole diner quieted down and they all turned to Luke, who looked shocked.

"What? Why would the police call me?" He asked irritated as he grabbed the phone. Caesar just shrugged and went back into the kitchen.

Everybody in the diner was now listening in, trying to figure out what was happening. They could only hear Luke's side of the conversation.

"Hello"… "Yes, I'm Lucas."… "He did what?"… His voice kept rising until he was full out screaming. "SHE DID WHAT?" … "CAN SHE EVEN DO THAT?" … "SHE'S GONNA BE THE DEATH OF ME!"

He listened while the officer was talking. His expression shifted from anger to concern in less than a second and everyone in the diner got even more confused. "How is he? Is he hurt?"… "Okay, I'll drive up as soon as I can" … "Sure, I'll come in tomorrow"… "Okay. Bye"

Luke stood with the phone in his hand staring at nothing. Finally, he turned around and saw that everyone was staring at him.

"Everybody out! I'm closing! The food is on the house," he said, while trying to calm his nerves and temper. Both Gilmore girls were leaving as well when they heard Luke call out, "Lorelai, can I talk to you?"

"Sure," she answered and turned to her daughter. "Wait for me outside and I'll be right out."

Lorelai walked behind the counter where Luke was still standing. "Hey Luke, are you al..." was all she could say before he interrupted her.

"That was a policeman in New York on the phone. He informed me that my nephew had been caught shoplifting." His face started to get really pale.

"Ah, that's not bad. Almost everyone shoplifts sometime in their life. I remember when I did it. I was with my mother shopping for a dress for some stupid function and I sneaked away from her and went into a grocery store and then I saw it, the light, and it was calling out to me! A perfect package of Twinkies. But I didn't have any money on me so I took it. It was also the only time I was truly grateful that my mother always insisted on these ridiculously big fluffy skirts, so no one saw where I hid the Twinkies." Lorelai said, trying to make him feel better.

Luke looked up at her surprised. "You stole a pack of Twinkies? You truly are insane."

"Why did the officer call you about your nephew and his shoplifting?" She asked, trying to get back on subject.

"Apparently his mother has made me his legal guardian. She just walked out on him. I have to drive up there and get him. How am I supposed to take care of a child?" he asked, feeling helpless.

She was speechless for a while, trying desperately to collect her thoughts.

"Why did she make you his guardian? Why can't she take care of him?"

What kind of mother would disown a child like that, she wondered? "Did something happen to her?" That must be it. She must be sick or something like that.

Luke was quiet for a few minutes before he answered her. He knew that Liz was flakey and not the best mother in the world but this was a new low for her.

"No, apparently Liz's boyfriend happened to Jess," Luke answered, with a defeated voice.

"Who's Jess and Liz," she asked, feeling more and more confused by the minute. This was to much information to digest at once, even for a Gilmore. Who were the two girls, she wondered. Luke had said nephew, not niece. One of them had to be the mother.

Luke took a deep breath. "Jess is my nephew and Liz is my sister and apparently she picked another winner for a boyfriend. This one beat Jess up and then she kicked him out, Jess that is, not the boyfriend. Then he got caught shoplifting and now he's sitting abandoned in a police station in New York!"

Lorelai stumbled down on a chair, momentarily at a loss for words. First because Jess turned out not to be a girl and then when Luke's words sunk in. She tried to regain her senses.

Luke interrupted her thoughts. "Lorelai, do you think I can take care of a child?" he said, with a sigh and when their eyes met she could see the fear and insecurity in them.

"Luke, it sounds like this kid really needs you. And you're not alone. I'm just a phone call away. I'm sure you can do this. You'll be great at it. You've helped me and Rory so much over the years," she said.

"How old is he?" she added.

"Fifteen," he said. At this she started laughing but quickly recovered when she saw the look on Luke's face.

"Then he's not really a kid anymore. I was expecting him to be seven, tops. He's a teenager, so all you have to do is feed him and keep him out of trouble and if you need any help, all you have to do is ask." She took his hand and smiled at him.

His voice was filled with sarcasm. "Oh, that's all I have to do? Sounds easy enough."

He smiled at her after a few moments of silence.

"Thank you, Lorelai. And you're right, I have to get him out of there. His mother has never been fit to raise a child."

"Where's his dad?" She asked.

"That deadbeat took off a few days after he was born. Told us he was going out to get diapers. He hasn't come back yet," he grumbled.

"Oh," was all she could think to say. This was such a sad story. Poor kid.

"I have an idea," she said, suddenly. "A really good one!"

Luke just rolled his eyes, "And what is this idea?"

"When you come home tomorrow, you can come to my house. Sookie will cook dinner so you don't have to think about that. And while you're out tomorrow Rory and I can go shopping for things you might need. You just go and get your nephew and we will take care of everything else."

Luke looked at her, stunned. "You would do that?" She truly was an amazing woman, he thought. She never failed to surprise him.

"Sure! You know how I love to shop and you're always doing things for Rory and me. It would be my pleasure to help you for once." She stood up and smiled at him.

Luke walked toward her and embraced her in a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

Lorelai walked out of the diner a little lightheaded after the hug and conversation. She was greeted by a very curious Rory, who began to pepper her with questions.

"Mom, what's going on? Why did the police call Luke? Why did he hug you? What happened, mom? Did Luke break the law? Is he going to jail? Who's going to serve us coffee if he goes to jail? Is there something we can do to help?"

Lorelai put her arm around her daughter's shoulders, "Slow down there speedy Gonzales."

She decided to tell her daughter the truth, well, part of it.

"Luke's nephew, Jess, is coming to stay with him for a while. There has been some trouble with his mother and her boyfriend, so she's sending him here so he can live with Luke until it's all sorted out."

She took a breath before she continued.

"I invited them to dinner tomorrow night. He's fifteen so I thought it would be nice if he met someone that's the same age. I also promised Luke we would shop for things they might need."

"That sounds like a good idea, mom. But what kind of trouble are you talking about? Is it serious?" Concern could be seen on her face.

"Just something about him, his mother and her boyfriend. They decided that a break between them would be for everyone's best." Lorelai tried to keep the sadness out of her voice but she didn't succeed.

"I'll never want a break from you, mommy. I may never move out, so I hope that's okay with you," Rory said, in a mocking tone, trying to lighten the mood.

Lorelai laughed and tightened her arm around Rory's shoulders. "You make mommy so happy when you say things like that."

The girls started to walk home, slightly disappointed that they were going to have a pop-tart breakfast at home instead of a Luke's breakfast.

* * *

Luke got in his pickup truck and started driving. He was so mad at Liz. How could she just put all of this on him? Expecting him to deal with everything and just take on a fifteen year old boy. But that was typical Liz behavior. She would do what she wanted to do and then leave the people closest to her to pick up the mess she created on her way.

He felt sorry for Jess and knew that he had to take him in. There was no way he would turn his back on the boy. No, that kid had already dealt with enough crap and bullshit for a lifetime, so he would welcome him with open arms.

The kid deserved a chance to succeed in life and make something of himself. He would never have that chance if he stayed with Liz.

Once he made it to the city, he was so tired from emotions, he could barely keep his eyes open. He located a motel near the police station and paid for a room and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Waking up early, Lorelai stumbled down the stairs, trying to reach the kitchen and the coffeemaker as quietly as possible. She walked right into a chair and started to curse loudly, but stopped when she remembered her sleeping daughter in the next room. She needed the coffee to be done before she woke Rory. If she was carrying coffee, the perfect bribe, she would be forgiven for waking her so early in the morning.

When the coffee finally was ready, she filled a cup. But when she went to set it down on the kitchen table, she dropped it, causing a loud crash.

The door to Rory's room flew open, revealing a very tired and angry teenager.

"Mom, are you trying to bring the house down?" She asked, as she sank into a chair.

Lorelai, looking guilty, filled two new cups and took a seat at the table with Rory.

"Sorry kid," she said, sliding a coffee cup to her daughter as a peace offering. "But you're up now, so we can go shopping. I've made a list of the things we need to get and the first thing we need to do is stop by the inn and let Sookie know about the dinner so she can make the food."

Both girls took a big sip of coffee and sighed, happily.

"Let me see that list," Rory said, grabbing the piece of paper from her mother.

She continued. "I don't trust your lists anymore. Remember when I asked you to shop for my school supplies two years ago? I had made a perfectly good list but you discarded it to make your own. I ended up with paper that had unicorns on it and erasers that smelled like strawberries."

"But we like the smell of strawberries. And I can't believe you're bringing that up again! I apologized like a thousand times," she said, rolling her eyes at her daughter, earning her a glare from Rory.

Rory quickly scanned the list and started to shake her head side-to-side very quickly.

"No, mom. We are not buying Luke and his nephew ken dolls. We are also not buying them a matching set of matching pajamas." Her tone was serious and Lorelai knew she couldn't win over her daughter this time.

"Fine, but you take all the fun out of it. Why don't you want your dearest mother to have fun?" She pouted.

"Because Luke feeds us and supplies us with coffee and that, my dear mother, is more important to me than your happiness. Now go get dressed and met me back in the kitchen for pop tarts." She said as walked into her room to select an outfit for the day.

"I hate it when you're right. Oh and for the future, nothing can ever be as important as your mother's happiness," she stated in a mock angry tone while walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs to get dressed.


	3. Fight face on backstreets

Disclaimer: I still don't own Gilmore Girls.

A/N: This chapter is intense and I hope that you'll still want to read the story when you've read it. I promise that the story will start moving at a faster pace in the next chapter, that has both Dean/Jess and Rory/Jess interactions. From there the story will have a lighter side to it and it will not be as constantly dark as it is now. So hopefully you'll still be interested.

A special thanks to my awesome beta **HelloSunshine89**, the story would be lost without you. Thank you for making it readable. And thanks to all of you who has reviewed the story, it really feeds my inspiration.

Chapter 3 – Fight face on the backstreets

Luke had set his alarm for eight but he didn't really need it. Early mornings at the diner had made him practically incapable of sleeping past seven in the morning.

He got dressed and ate breakfast in a small coffee shop across the street from the motel. The food seemed bland to him and he had trouble swallowing it, his nerves flying all over the place. After forcing himself to eat half of his egg white omelet, he quickly paid for his food and walked to his car.

Once he found the police station, he parked his car in their small parking lot but made no move to get out. Twenty minutes passed while he tried to gather the courage…the courage to go inside. People were passing him on the sidewalk and, for a moment, he wondered if they were as happy as they seemed. Most of them were walking in the sun, laughing and talking.

Tearing his eyes away from the passing people, he took a deep breath. It didn't seem fair to him that they were smiling and laughing. Not when his life was suddenly surrounded with so much misery.

He had dreaded this moment ever since he got the phone call. How was he supposed to act towards Jess? Would Jess be happy to see him? Would he come with him willingly? Did he even know that Liz had kicked him out? Would he even remember Luke? The last time they had seen each other Jess had been four years old.

He remembered the few times he had talked to Liz on the phone over the last few years- birthdays and major holidays, mostly. She never called him; it was always Luke that had made the effort to get in touch. She never mentioned Jess and only talked about him when asked directly.

Luke cursed himself for not asking to talk to Jess personally. Maybe there was something he could have done to stop this. He knew it was stupid to think like that but he felt like he had failed Jess. Deep down inside he couldn't shake the feeling that some of this was his fault.

Briefly, he wondered if Jess had gotten the money he'd been sending over the years. He doubted it. No, he knew Liz kept it for herself.

That was why he had set up a fund for Jess years ago. Every month he tried to set some money aside in case he would need it one day, for college, maybe. He was sure that Liz hadn't started a college fund and Luke just wanted the kid to have a fighting chance.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the car door and got out, quickly crossing the parking lot before he had a chance to chicken out. The sun was blazing and it was a beautiful summer day, but he didn't notice. To him the sun felt like fire, burning away on his skin. And the dry air made it hard for him to breathe.

When he got inside the station he walked up to the counter and waited for someone to come and help him. He looked around and shuddered at the thought of his nephew having to spend so much time here. In the room was what looked like three junkies and two prostitutes. All he could do was hope that Jess had a cell to himself.

An officer walked up to him and tapped him on his shoulder. "Excuse me, can I help you with something?" The man looked and sounded tired.

"Yes sir, I'm Luke Danes and I'm here to pick up Jess Mariano." His voice cracked while he spoke and the words seemed to run together.

At his words the officer's eyes lit up. "Ah yes, finally. Poor kid has been there for over two days now. Do you want to see him while I get the paperwork in order?"

He spent two days alone here in a cell? Luke could feel his heart break. "Yes, that would be good. Umm, will he be forced to go to court?" Luke asked, trying his best to stay calm.

"No, the charges were dropped as the owner of the store took pity on him." The officer stood there silent for a while. He seemed to be thinking about something.

"He may have to testify against Bob later but a date has not been set for the trial yet. His mother posted the bail for Bob so I think it's a good idea that you're taking Jess to Stars Hallow. Bob seemed really angry when we brought him in and was yelling at Jess about disciplining him again once he got out."

Luke tried to digest all the information. "Liz came down here?" Now Luke was the one sounding tired.

"Oh, you didn't know…" the officer trailed off. "…of course you didn't. She came down here and begged Jess to drop the charges against Bob and then told us that you were now Jess' legal guardian."

The officer led him to the cell area of the station and left the two of them there alone to talk while he got working on the release papers.

The two of them just stood there and looked at each other for what felt like years. Luke was shocked at how bad Jess looked. His face was purple, covered in cuts and his left eye was slightly swollen. He had his arm in a cast and he looked miserable.

Luke had tried to picture what he would look like but this… it was so much worse than he ever could have imagined.

Finding his words he took a step forward. "Oh Jess, I'm so sorry." His was voice soft and gentle.

Jess' eyes shot up, locking with Luke's and he could only see sincerity in them. At that moment he let his emotions out and the tears he had been holding back for so long started to fall down his cheeks.

Luke panicked and started to yell after someone that worked there. "Can someone come in here and open the goddamn door?"

The same officer he had talked to moments earlier ran in and when he saw the boy standing, alone, in the cell, crying, he quickly opened the door. Luke closed the distance between them in quick strides and embraced his nephew, making sure he didn't hurt his already injured body.

They stood there until Jess's tears had stopped falling, neither saying anything.

Jess looked up at what he guessed was his uncle. "Thanks," he managed, with a broken and horse voice. At that moment Luke felt very protective of Jess and if he ever met the scumbag that had hurt him, there would be hell to pay.

When the paperwork was done they walked to Luke's car in silence. Luke didn't know what to say. He didn't know how Jess would react when he told him he was moving to Stars Hollow.

When they were seated in the car Luke turned to him and took a deep breath. But before he could get the words out Jess spoke.

"Can we stop by the apartment so I can get my stuff right away? I don't have that much so it should all fit on the truck. I just don't want to give Liz the chance to burn it." He was looking out the window and there were no emotion in his voice.

"Yeah, sure, just tell me the address and how we get there." Luke said as he put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot.

Once inside the apartment Luke felt his anger well up again. The place was dirty and it reeked of old food, alcohol and vomit. There was garbage everywhere and barely any furniture.

The apartment was empty and both boys drew a sigh of relief, neither in the mood to deal with Liz right now.

Jess went to the kitchen and grabbed a pack of trash bags and started to put all his things in them. He gave Luke his duffle bag and asked him to start packing his clothes before grabbing a pair of clean pants and a shirt to change into.

He found his wallet on the table in the living room, empty. The little money he had in it the day before was now gone.

When everything was packed they quickly put it all on the truck and drove away. Once they were out of he city they stopped at a small diner to eat something. Jess was starving and ate for three. That made Luke smile for the first time since he got the phone call and Jess looked at him, anger in his eyes. He hated that his face was so bruised. Everyone could see that something bad had happened to him and now people were laughing.

This was why he hated people.

"We're having dinner with a friend of mine and her daughter tonight and if you keep eating like that you're going to fit in perfectly. Lorelai and Rory eat for three every time they sit down to have a meal."

"I'm not going," was the only response Luke got.

"What? Why not?" Luke asked.

Jess didn't answer him. He just looked down at his now empty plate.

Luke could see the shame that flashed on Jess' face before he looked away and cursed himself. Off course Jess wouldn't want people to see him like that. Luke felt like a fool for trying to force that on him so he excused himself by saying that he needed to use the bathroom.

He quickly located a payphone and called the Gilmore's but no one answered so he left a message on their machine.

"Hey Lorelai. I just wanted to let you know that we have to cancel the dinner you had planed for tonight. Jess isn't really up for it and I think it's best for him to just take it easy and rest for a while. Maybe we can do it when he feels better. So, I'll probably see you at the diner tomorrow for breakfast. Bye. Oh, it's Luke by the way."

They stayed mostly silent on the drive back. Jess had his nose in a book and felt no need to partake in pointless conversation.

When they were halfway to Stars Hollow Luke tried to strike up conversation for the fourth time.

"You're going to like Rory. She's your age and she's always reading too."

Jess didn't answer and made no sign that he even heard what Luke had said. Luke sighed, keeping his eyes on the road, thinking that this was going to be a long drive.

"We can have that dinner another night instead. There will be a lot of food and by meeting the Gilmore's, Sookie and Jackson, you can start preparing for the craziness that is Stars Hallow. I swear, not one sane person lives there and they should all be committed to an asylum."

At this Jess looked up from his book and glanced at Luke. "So that includes you too, then, I guess," he said smirking.

"What? No! I'm… It's not..." Luke trailed off. Not knowing how to explain, he stopped talking. A quick smile that went unnoticed by Luke touched Jess's lips before he went back to his book.

When they drove past the sign that read 'Welcome to Stars Hallow' Jess put his book down to study his new home. To say it was small was an exaggeration. You could probably run in a straight line through the town without ever slowing down or getting tired.

It looked like a picture taken out of a movie. All the buildings were nicely painted and there were flowers planted on the sidewalks and not a spot of brown grass as far as the eye could see. Jess sighed and immediately started to think of how he could get enough money to get out of here. No way could he stay here more than a few weeks. He would go mad.

They parked just outside the diner and Luke showed him the apartment. There's not much to it but at least it's a place to crash, Jess thought. It was much better then he was used to and it didn't smell bad.

"I know it's not much. Tomorrow we'll go out and buy you a real bed, I promise," Luke said, pointing at the inflatable mattress.

Jess turned to Luke. "Can we just get my stuff up so I can get some sleep? The guy in the cell next to mine snored the whole time and my body is hurting like hell."

"Oh, right! The doctor from the station left a bottle of painkillers for you," Luke said, putting the bottle down on the kitchen table.

"Great," Jess said, with sarcasm in his voice. After swallowing just one pill, a look of relief washed over his face. But that look disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.

He tried his best not to think about Liz and Bob but it was hard. Never before had he been hurting this bad and this time it wasn't the broken bones and cuts that hurt the most.

* * *

When the Gilmore's walked into Luke's, the diner was almost bursting. Everyone was talking in hushed tones and kept glancing at the curtain that was separating the diner from the stairs that lead up to the apartment.

Lorelai approached Patty and Babette. "What's going on here? The breakfast crowd has usually died down by now. I don't think I've ever seen this many people in here."

"Morning, Sugar. We're just trying to get a glance at the new kid. Eastside Tilly said she saw him last night when he and Luke unpacked the truck. Said the poor kid looked terrible."

Miss Patty chimed in, "So far the only one coming through that curtain has been Luke."

"Sit down, dolls. We saved you two seats." Babette smiled up at them.

"Thanks. That's sweet." Both girls smiled as they sat down and joined all the other patrons in the diner in their staring contest with the curtain.

A few minutes passed before a very stressed Luke walked out from the storage room and to their table.

"What can I get you?" He said looking at Rory.

"Lots of coffee, pancakes and some bacon on the side." Luke wrote down her order and turned his head to Lorelai.

"I want even more coffee, scrambled eggs and lots of bacon."

Luke turned to Babette and Miss Patty, "You want anything?"

"A glimpse of that nephew of yours would be great," Patty said and winked at him.

Luke clenched his jaw. All morning people had come up to him asking about Jess and when they would get a chance to look at him. Wondering how hurt he was or if Liz really had kicked him out and he was getting fed up.

"People in this town should learn to mind their own damn business," he barked before stalking off to the kitchen to place the order.

Miss Patty turned to look at Babette. "When do you think he'll learn that it's impossible to have your own business in Stars Hallow?"

* * *

_The front door opened and in barged Liz's new boyfriend, carrying a bag full of liquor._

_Jess had been home sick for almost a week with a really high fever._

_The man was obviously mad to see him still hanging around the apartment. He didn't seem to care that it was winter in New York and that he had the flu. _

_He walked over to the table in front of the couch and put the bag down, shooting Jess a death glare. Jess knew what was coming. He had seen that look many times before in this man and in others. Before this day was over he knew he would feel even worse. _

_The man grabbed a beer bottle and whacked it over Jess's head. It broke and from the pain he could feel and the warm liquid dripping down on his neck, he guessed he had a wound somewhere under his hair. Jess knew what to expect next (they all stuck to the same pattern). _

_When he was younger he thought life was supposed to be like this. He often used to lie awake in his bed wondering what people found so great about life. _

_He couldn't understand why there were so many people walking around New York smiling and laughing. They seemed so happy. Why were people pretending?_

_That was until he realized that most people didn't have to live though this almost every day. He often used to curse himself that it took him nine years to figure that out but now he didn't care. He was twelve years old and he had given up on life and happiness. It was something he would never have._

_Jess was still sitting on the couch and with his fever and the blow to the head he felt tired. He leaned his head back and his eyes started to close. He didn't know how long he stayed like that but figured it was only seconds. _

_A closed fist connected with his jaw. The man was screaming something about him getting blood on the couch and dragged him to the bathroom, throwing him into the filthy tub. _

_Another fist connected to his head, this time with his temple. After that, everything went dark._

Jess awoke startled. He sat up and rubbed his eyes with his good arm and tried to calm his breathing. The dream had been real. It had happened three years ago.

The man was called Tony and he had been around for almost six months. It had been an awful six months for Jess. Every time Tony had been around he had taken his anger out on Jess. And he had a lot of anger.

When he had stumbled out of the bathroom, trying to reach his bed, Tony had pushed him back inside the bathroom and made him clean up the mess his wound had left behind.

With the fever, it took almost two hours and Tony just sat there the whole time, watching him, with a beer in hand.

Jess felt worthless when he was on his hands and knees, scrubbing the tub clean.

When he finally finished, Tony complained that it had taken longer than it should have. When he stumbled out of bathroom Jess was greeted by Liz, who told him that it was good that he had learned a lesson in cleaning up after himself. She had smiled at him as he made is way into his bedroom.

Sighing, he put his head down on the pillow and tried to get back to sleep, but the pain was too overwhelming.

He sat up on the bed and winced at the pain that was pulsating through his body. Walking to the bathroom, he took the bottle of painkillers from the kitchen table with him. Inside the bathroom he looked at himself in the mirror. His face was purple, green, red and blue but the swelling had gone down quite a bit. He sighed; he didn't look like some kind of monster anymore. Just a fucking rainbow.

He still had the painkillers in his hand and for a few moments, he let himself think about the relief that would come if he swallowed them all. He shook his head and put the bottle down, just taking one pill. A promise had been made and he was not going to break it. Terry was his brother in every way except for in blood. But he had learned that blood wasn't thicker than water. Terry needed him and he needed Terry so he had to stay strong.

His mother had not called once and he wasn't surprised. He was surprised that he didn't miss New York as much as he thought he would. Not that he liked Stars Hallow, the small town scene just wasn't for him. And he had to be there, for Terry. When he thought about Terry he suddenly remembered that he hadn't had a chance to talk to him before he left. He didn't know that he wasn't in New York anymore.

He quickly found the phone in the small apartment and dialed the familiar number, but no one answered.

It was almost ten now. Terry should have been home. He tried not to worry but something in his gut told him that something was wrong. He should haven been home. School was over for the semester and they hadn't gone to England yet. But there was nothing he could do about that now.

Without thinking, he started down the stairs, drawn by the smell of food, and when he passed through the curtain, the whole diner went quiet. Everyone stopped talking and eating and were now staring at him. He felt very exposed, like a trapped animal forced into a corner. A man started snapping pictures of him and he didn't know what to do. He just stood there, frozen.

Luckily Luke came out of the kitchen to see why the sudden noise had stopped and saw that everyone was looking at Jess and that Kirk was taking pictures. He could see that his nephew was very uncomfortable with the situation and decided to take action.

"Hey! Go back to your food or I will charge you extra for the show!" He yelled.

They all took one last look at Jess and went back to their food. The hushed conversations that now could be heard all centered around the mysterious new kid. The one that had to be trouble by the way he looked.

No one knew why he was staying with Luke yet but whatever the reason was it couldn't be good.

Jess turned around and walked behind the curtain before anyone could say anything. Luke quickly fallowed him.

"Jess wait!" Jess stopped in the middle of the stairs and turned to Luke, eyebrow raised.

"Are you alright? How are you feeling?" Luke knew that the whole diner was listening to them.

If he would've been feeling poetic, he might have expressed it something along the lines of: 'my soul is bruised'. The pain he was feeling was not physical, so it would have fit perfectly. He wasn't feeling poetic, though, just deeply pissed off, so instead he looked Luke in the eye and said "fuck off!" Not as refined, but it worked equally well.

Not giving Luke enough time to answer, he climbed the steps two at the time and slammed the apartment door shut.

* * *

The dark backstreets of New York were almost empty. Only people you wanted to avoid were out at this time of the day, but when you have no choice you just have to put your fight face on and hope that no one will bother you.

He made slow progress due to his injuries. But he had walked this way so many times that he could probably walk it blind if he had to.

"Just one more block," he kept repeating in his head as he slowly turned round a corner.

He drew a relived breath as he finally reached the apartment building that was hopefully his sanctuary for the night.

Climbing the stairs took him longer than he's hoped and when he finally reached the door he barely had the energy to knock. He just scraped it once, hoping someone inside would hear it. When he heard someone moving inside he drew a reviled breath.

The door flew open and Liz was standing there shooting daggers at him. "What do you want?"

"Is Jess here?"

Liz didn't even bother to look at the boy. "No."

"Oh." His stomach dropped. "Could I come in and wait for him?" He tried his best to plea with her.

"No. Go to your own home. Jess doesn't live here anymore. Kicked him out a few days ago." And then the door slammed in his face.

He sunk to the floor and tried to digest what Liz had told him. Jess had moved? When and where? What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't go home.

Terry didn't know how long he had been sitting there but suddenly he could hear someone walking up the stairs. He looked up and was met by his father's furious gaze.

"You're too predictable, Terry-boy," he said as he grabbed his son by his arm and yanked him up. "I knew you were gonna' come here. Let's go home."


	4. Smokefilled calmness

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.  
Thanks to all of you who is reading, reviewing and so on. It's awesome! A special thanks for HelloSunshine89, my awesome beta. Thank you for making my insane and crazy writing readable.  
A/N: So here's the next chapter. I hope you will like it.

* * *

After Jess had slammed the apartment door shut behind him, Luke could hear him scream out in frustration on the other side. "Fuck! Fuck! FUCK! Stupid fucking town! Stupid fucking people!"

Luke didn't know what he was supposed to do. He figured that he should probably try talking to him but confronting him right now might aggravate him even more, so decided to talk to Jess later and deal with Kirk and the town first.

When he came through the curtain, he could see people's heads turn towards him. He knew they had heard the whole exchange. Some were shaking their heads disapprovingly. On others he could see surprise or sympathy. He saw Kirk sitting by the counter and walked up to him, once again angry because the town couldn't seem to stay out of personal business.

"Why were you taking pictures of Jess?" It came out more like a snarl instead of a question.

Kirk jumped and looked afraid. "Taylor asked me to take pictures because he couldn't be here. He had to mind the store."

Luke sighed, clenching his jaw. He was on his way into the kitchen when he suddenly turned and walked back to Kirk. Without saying anything he took the camera that was resting on the counter and walked into the kitchen, leaving a very confused and terrified Kirk behind.

"Luke! That's Taylor's camera. If I don't return it he's going to be very mad."

Luke poked his head out from the kitchen, "Go away, Kirk!"

"Fine, but I'm telling on you." Kirk tried his best to calmly walk out of the diner but once he was out, he sprinted towards Dosee's Market.

"Wow, I can't believe Taylor actually convinced Kirk to take pictures," Lorelai said as they watched Kirk run down the street.

"Did you see how bruised the boy looked? Eastside Tilly was right," Miss Patty chimed in.

"I wonder what happened to him," Babette mused. "He seemed so angry. Did you hear how he screamed?"

Miss Patty had a smile playing on her lips. "When he heals up he's going to be a favorite with the ladies. That dark hair and his toned skin almost made my toes curl." Patty and Babette shared a look.

"Mmhm. Every girl loves the badboy." Babette agreed.

Rory felt very uncomfortable during the whole conversation. She had seen the panic on his face when he walked into the diner and she couldn't imagine how he must have felt. Immediately, when she saw him, she felt compassion wash over her. Her mother had told her that the reason he was here was because he needed a break from his mother and her boyfriend, but if his injuries had anything to do with that situation, he needed much more than a break from them.

When Luke delivered their breakfast and she saw the angry look on his face, she felt ashamed. She knew it wasn't directed at her but she still felt responsible. Like everyone else, she had joined in on the staring and now she had a hard time getting Jess' haunted look out of her mind. She pushed her plate away, no longer hungry.

"Not hungry, honey?" Lorelai asked, concerned. Rory only skipped breakfast if something was bothering her. It was the most important meal of the day and she lived by that mantra intensely.

"No, I just lost my appetite." That was the only explanation she offered. "I think I'm going to take a walk."

"Ok, honey. You sure everything's alright?" Lorelai looked concerned and couldn't figure out what had happened from the time they sat down and ordered their breakfast until Luke came and delivered it to them that would take away her appetite.

"Yeah, I'm just not hungry. See you at home later."

Lorelai watched her daughter as she walked down the street. She had no idea what was bothering her but she figured she'd let Rory think about it and then talk to her when she got home from work. She turned back to the table, eating Rory's breakfast too, and continued to gossip with Babette and Patty.

Suddenly the curtain flew open and Jess appeared once again. He had a mean snarl on his face, cigarette in his mouth and once more every eye in the diner flew to him. In quick strides he crossed the floor and opened the door, stepped outside and slammed it hard behind him. All eyes fallowed him as he crossed the street and disappeared out of sight. In one fluid motion all eyes turned to Luke who stood in the middle of the diner, looking confused. He just shrugged.

* * *

Once outside he glanced around the town. He had no idea where he was going but he picked a direction and started walking. When he passed the school he saw a small road branch out from the sidewalk. He couldn't see anyone walking on it so he turned. The need to get away from people was growing. He could hear water and walked towards it, hoping to find a secluded place where he could smoke. Alone.

His nerves and temper were already flying all over the place and the incident in the diner was just the drop that spilled the cup. In the distance he could spot an old bridge that looked like a good place for a few cigarettes. Before walking on it he took a second to look at the scenery. It looked serene.

He shook his head. That was a word that Jess Mariano had never used to describe anything.

Walking into the middle of the bridge he sat down and let his feet dangle freely over the edge. He searched his pockets for the lighter he knew was in there and finally lit the cigarette he had been dying for.

Taking a big drag, he closed his eyes and held his breath. He counted till ten before releasing the smoke and instantly felt the calmness he had been seeking wash over him. After what had happened in the diner earlier he knew he needed to go back to New York as soon a possible. There was no way he could stay here for long without going ballistic on the whole town. He loved the filthiness of New York. His neighborhood may be bad to live in but at least it felt real. Stars Hollow was like breast implants or a facelift on an already beautiful woman. If you took it away you would still find a beautiful woman underneath it all. Take away all the nicely planted flowers and decorations and let the grass grow in different heights and you would still find a fucking paradise here.

New York was like metal with sharp edges -it could really hurt you if you weren't careful. Stars Hollow was the softest of satin.

He heard steps to his right and for a second he tensed but as he put his cigarette in his mouth and took a breath he felt calm. If this person turned out to be nosy he would just scare them away. If Jess Mariano was good at something, it was scaring people away.

He turned his head slightly, not visible to the untrained eye, and shot a glance to his right. There was a tall guy about his age standing there. It looked like he was having an argument with himself. Jess guessed that he was debating whether or not to approach him. Undoubtedly he must have heard or seen what had happened earlier and with his rainbow face Jess guessed that he didn't look very approachable.

But he was surprised when he heard the tall guy walking towards him, even more so when he stopped just a few feet from where he was sitting. Jess didn't acknowledge him; he just kept on smoking. Tall guy cleared his throat, hoping to get his attention but Jess didn't give it to him. Once again tall guy surprised him when he sat down next to Jess.

"Hi, I'm Dean." He held out his hand like he expected Jess to shake it. Jess had never understood the need for new people to touch each other.

Jess flicked his cigarette into the water and immediately took out a new one and lit it.

"Huh" was all he said, barley glancing at Dean and ignoring his extended hand. He rolled his eyes when he saw the look on his face. It wasn't shocking that he was surprised by his rude behavior. He was after all living in a big marshmallow town.

"You must be Jess."

"Yep." Jess couldn't help but to be a little entertained and he wondered how long he would continue to question him.

Dean looked awkward and that was all it took for Jess' trademark smirk to appear. They sat in silence until Jess lit another cigarette.

"Wow, you smoke a lot."

"I'm your regular after school special," Jess deadpanned. He could see Dean looking at him strangely. But he just continued to smoke and rejoiced in the calmness and enjoyment that only nicotine could provide.

He wondered if Dean had ever tried smoking but he doubted it. Smoking didn't fit with the all american athlete vibe that he was giving off. With smirk still in place, he turned towards Dean for the first time.

"You want one?" He asked and extended his pack towards him.

Jess had to give him some credit. He only looked unsure for a few seconds before he reached out. Maybe he thought this was some kind of bonding experience he could have with the new kid, but Jess knew better. He just wanted to see if he had the balls to actually smoke the cigarette.

"Ok." He took one and held it awkwardly between his thumb and index finger.

Jess just blew out some smoke and put his cigarette in is mouth and reached into his pocket to fish out his lighter.

The lighter was very important to him and one of the few things in the world that could make him sentimental. When he pulled it out of his pocket Dean looked shocked and then confused, like he didn't know if he was allowed to laugh at it. Jess would be the first to admit that the lighter looked ridiculous and when he first got it he had felt somewhat ashamed when he used it in public places, but over time it grew on him. Most people laughed at him when he used it.

The guy in the badass leather jacket had a bright pink zippo lighter that had the word 'Princess' engraved on it in a squiggly font.

But he had learned not to care what other people thought of him and his pink lighter over time. He only cared about the person who had given it to him. It was the best present he had gotten in his whole life and the best birthday week he'd ever had. The fact that Liz had spent the whole week in a sleazy motel just outside the city to celebrate her marriage to husband number four made the week the best one in Jess's life.

Everyday there had been a new surprise waiting for him, nothing fancy, just things that Terry had been able to afford or stolen for him. The grand finale had been on Saturday night. Two tickets for a Rancid concert, a carton of cigarettes and to top the whole thing off, the pink lighter. It came with a handwritten note that said: "Because every badboy needs a signature lighter."

With the pink lighter in hand he flipped it open, holding out the flame for Dean to light his cigarette. He could feel Dean's eyes on him and he deliberately took a deep drag, hoping Dean would follow his example and that it would cause some kind of coughing fit.

Dean looked at the cigarette in his hand one more time before moving it closer to his face, putting it between his lips. He took a deep breath, mimicking what Jess had done and instantly started coughing heavily.

Jess' smirk grew and he even laughed out loud at the scene. "Don't you know that you shouldn't try a deep breath the first time?" He asked, eyebrow raised and smirk in place.

Dean shook his head no while he continued to cough. Jess sarcasm going unnoticed. "I don't think smoking is for me," he said when he could breath normally again.

Jess just shrugged. "You get used to it after a while, like with everything else."

Dean couldn't help but feel a little sympathy towards the guy. He felt like his words had a double meaning. With his visible injuries he could probably get sympathy out of anyone but he didn't seem to want it and Dean had to respect that. He took it like a man and didn't whine about it.

He stood and threw the cigarette into the lake, "I'm meeting my girlfriend at Luke's tomorrow for lunch. You're welcome to join us if you want."

When Jess didn't acknowledge what he'd said he turned and walked away. Once he was alone again he let out a deep breath. Great. Invited to lunch with quarterback and cheerleader bimbo. He'd been here less than a day and already he was invited to sit at the cool kids table.

* * *

After she left the diner, Rory went home and tried to read a book but she felt restless. She tried switching books but could only get a few pages into the book before she lost her concentration again. She knew why she had trouble concentrating: bad conscience and guilt. The rational part of herself said that she was overreacting but the look on his face was still edged in her mind.

It was hot outside and with the sun shining on the house, it was even hotter inside. She decided that a walk was just what she needed. Maybe reading by the lake would help with the concentration problem.

Before she left the house she made some coffee and packed some Reese's peanut butter cups in a small basket. She may have skipped breakfast because of a appetite that was lost but she was still a Gilmore. She tried to pick a book to take with her but she found it hard so she decided to bring a few different ones.

A memoir was always a good choice so she packed The Little Locksmith, a classic like Frankenstein and for some lighter reading, Howl, in case poetry was something that would fit the moment. Satisfied with her choices, she left the house and walked towards the bridge. It had always had a calming effect on her and for the most part she would be left alone when she was there.

* * *

When Lorelai arrived at the Independence Inn she was immediately dragged off into the kitchen by Sookie.

"Ok spill!" She said excitingly, clapping her hands together.

Lorelai looked at her, confused. Quite often, Sookie didn't make sense. You just had to give her some time and soon enough, you would be speaking the same language.

"Spill what?" She asked.

"One of the maids told me that there had been some kind of incident at the diner this morning. Tell me what happened!" She looked like she was ready to burst.

"Oh. The whole diner was packed with people hoping to get a glimpse of Jess. Apparently Eastside Tilly had seen him last night and said that he looked really bad. Injured bad. Me and Rory walked in and sat with Patty and Babette. Luke came out, took our orders. God, he looked so stressed! It was just him and Caesar working. I've been telling him to hire someone else for years, but do you think he listens? No, he's just as stubborn as the day I met him," she said, going on one of her classic tangents.

"Lorelai, honey, as much fun as it is to listen to why Luke should hire someone to work at the diner, please get back to the story."

"All of a sudden the curtain flew open!" She added with a bit more drama than was needed.

"Oh! The curtain!" Sookie added, getting even more exited.

"Jess takes a few steps before he realizes that everyone is staring at him. It looked like he just froze and didn't know what to do. Suddenly, Kirk, who'd been sitting by the counter, jumps to his feet and starts taking picture after picture of Jess."

"Why would Kirk want to take pictures of him? Please tell me there is a real reason and not just Kirk being Kirk." She finished this statement with a grimace.

"Apparently Taylor asked him to do it because he couldn't be there."

"I don't know what would be worse. Kirk being Kirk or Taylor asking him to take pictures of the poor kid. What happened next?"

"Luke came out of the kitchen and screamed something about going back to our food or he would start charging extra for the show."

"Wow, angry Luke!"

"Yeah, real angry Luke." Lorelai agreed. "After that Jess turned around and stormed past the curtain and Luke quickly followed him, asking him how he was doing. They must have been on the stairs because we could still hear them really well." She took a sip of her coffee and a deep breath.

"What happened next? You can't just stop there!" Sookie prompted her to continue.

"Jess just freaked out on Luke! Screaming at him to fuck off."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Then a door slammed and you could hear him scream 'fuck' and 'stupid town' from the apartment." Lorelai finished and refilled her coffee cup.

"Well it's not so weird. He had almost the whole town in there just staring at him and Kirk taking pictures. If he looked bad it's probably not the greatest feeling to have everyone staring at you like that," Sookie tried to reason.

"I don't know, Sookie. I have a bad feeling about him. I don't think Luke really knows or understands what he's gotten himself into. He stormed out of the diner ten minutes later with a cigarette in his mouth, slamming the door behind him. He seemed so angry."

"I'm sure he'll calm down in a few days. Adjusting to Stars Hollow takes a while. Especially if you're used to New York. And from what you told me earlier about his mother kicking him out, that can't be easy to deal with."

"Yeah, maybe." Lorelai wasn't convinced but she decided to wait it out a few days and see if he would calm down.

* * *

Rory was walking by the gazebo when she ran into Dean who was on his way to cover the afternoon shift at Dosee's. She smiled brightly at him and leaned up for a kiss. When she drew back she looked at him confused.

"Have you smoked?"

Dean shrugged. "Yes. I tried talking to Luke's nephew but he didn't respond to anything I said. All of a sudden he offered me a cigarette and I just thought he would talk more if I took one."

"And did he?" Rory promoted him to continue.

"Not really. I started coughing and he laughed. Now I know why I've been staying away from cigarettes all my life." He grimaced before he continued. "I think I have to brush my teeth at least ten times to get the taste away."

"Well good luck with that." She smiled at him. "I'll see you later."

Dean smiled at down at her. "I'll pick you up at six."

She gave him a quick kiss before she continued on her walk.

When she could see the bridge she stopped in her tracks. He was sitting there, smoking. Smoking on her bridge! Suddenly she felt the need to defend her bridge. If anyone had asked her why she was so angry at him all of a sudden she couldn't have answered them.

Jess heard someone approaching and turned his head slightly so he could cast a glance in that direction. A girl, he thought he saw in the diner that morning, was stomping her way towards him. She looked pissed and he tried to imagine what he possibly could have done to piss her off. He couldn't think of anything but knew that it was his fault. Somehow it was **always** his fault.

She came to a halt right by his side. "What do you think you're doing?"

Jess glanced at her. She had her arms crossed over her chest.

When he didn't respond, she let out a sigh. "It's polite to answer someone when they ask you a question." She felt ridiculous for stating the obvious and for overreacting like this, but there was no backing down now. That would only make her feel more ridiculous.

"Noted," was the only response she got and it aggravated her even more. After spending a few seconds with him the guilt she felt earlier disappeared. Now she just wanted to strangle him.

"Well could you not smoke on my bridge?" She sat down and took out her thermos, deciding to ignore him altogether.

He turned to look at her. "I'm sorry, princess. I didn't see any name on it."

Jess saw that his comment made her even more angry and when he added the smirk he briefly wondered if she was going to hit him. She was on her way to get up and leave when, suddenly, she seemed to change her mind and sat back down.

"Do you read?" She asked him suddenly and out of nowhere.

"Not much." He smirked at her.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" She stated as she made herself comfortable taking out all three books and her bag of Reese's. She decide to go with The Little Locksmith, putting the other two aside for now. She'd get to them eventually.

Jess was surprised. He must be losing his edge. Now there were two people he hadn't been able to scare away. He looked at the girl, studying her. She looked good. She had crazy intense blue eyes and her long brown hair went perfectly with her pale porcelain skin. The way she was concentrating on her book made her even hotter. She was hot in that 'she's oblivious to how hot she is' – kind of way. When she put her pinky in her mouth, biting down on the nail and frowning slightly in her concentration, he felt something stir inside him. This was no good. He needed to do something.

He did the only thing he could think of, well the only thing that wouldn't get him arrested for molestation anyway. He lit yet another cigarette and deliberately blew all the smoke on her. She tried to ignore it at first, he could tell, but it didn't take long until she put her book down and looked at him. Now she was furious. Even that looked hot on her, Jess thought.

"Angry looks good on you." He said as he looked her up and down, hoping that would be enough to make her go away.

"What's wrong with you? First you practically force my boyfriend to smoke and now you're just sitting there, blowing smoke on me. God you're frustrating."

In a fury she packed all of her things into her small basket and quickly walked away, unaware that she left a book behind. Stars Hollow: 0 – Jess Mariano: 2, he thought as he picked up her copy of Howl.

He flipped the book open and he felt at home. His copy of the book was on the edge of falling apart. Normally he didn't like poetry but Allen Ginsberg was different. His poem Howl had spoken to Jess the first time he had read it. After reading the first two lines he had been hooked, 'I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked...'

So she was tall guy's girlfriend. That was not the cheerleader he had been expecting. She definitely didn't feel like the peppy kind of girl. This was interesting. As he took out a pen from his pocket so he could write in her book, he had already made up his mind. He was going to the lunch tomorrow.


	5. A crack in the wall

A/N: This chapter took longer than I thought it would, considered that it was already written when I posted chapter four, but I needed to change a few things. Hope you will like it.  
You know the drill: Read & Review.

A thanks to all of you that has taken an interest in the story. I also want to thank my amazing beta **HelloSunshine89**, who read through this chapter three or four times. You're a star!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 5 – A crack in the wall

* * *

When Lorelai arrived home later that evening she found her daughter furiously scrubbing the kitchen sink.

"Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?" She asked, surprised to find Rory cleaning the kitchen they rarely used. When she got no answer she walked over to her and tried to take the rag she was using from her. It proved more of a challenge than she thought possible. Her daughter had some hidden strengths and she held on to the rag for dear life.

"Honey, please let go of the dirty rag." She pulled harder and Rory finally released it. She threw the dirty object away from her in disgust and sat down at the kitchen table and Rory followed her example.

"What's wrong? You only power-clean like this when you're really upset." Apparently something was still bothering Rory. "Did you and Dean have a fight?"

Rory sighed. "No, we were going to catch a movie tonight but he has to work late. Apparently Taylor desperately needed the cereal aisle resorted by color."

"And missing a date with Dean was enough to bring out your inner Martha Stewart?"

"No. Jess was enough."

Lorelai looked worried. "Jess? When did you meet him?" What could he possibly have done to make Rory this upset, she wondered.

Rory looked unsure at first but decided to tell Lorelai what had happened. It was nothing serious, he had just being acting like an annoying, rude jerk. When Rory had finished telling her the story Lorelai was fuming. She knew this kid was no good. She had read him the second she saw him.

"I'm barely alive right now, work was rough. And I have an early day tomorrow. But I will talk to Luke about this as soon as I get home tomorrow." If Luke knew that Jess had hurt Rory he would surely do something about it. He loved Rory more than life itself.

"No mom, it's fine. It's no big thing so just leave it alone," Rory said as she stood up and kissed her mom on the cheek. "I'm going to bed too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight sweets."

Lorelai went to bed still angry but decided to not talk to Luke about it. Instead she deiced to back off and give the kid some room to get situated. But if she didn't see a change in him she would gladly point it out to Luke.

* * *

After having a quiet morning all to herself, Rory met up with Dean, happy about spending some quality time with him before he went to Chicago for the better part of the summer. They had talked about her coming to visit him while he was there. She would be able to meet his grandparents and Dean said that they were practically begging him to invite her. Lorelai and Sookie would be going away on a conference about opening your own inn for two weeks sometime in July so they had decided that Rory would go to Chicago for those weeks. That way she wouldn't be all alone.

They met by the gazebo and kissed hello. "You hungry?" Dean asked.

She smiled brightly at him. "When am I not?" She asked as he took her hand in his and they crossed the street and walked into Luke's. The clock had just passed two and the usual lunch crowd had died down.

"I invited Jess," Dean said as they sat down by the counter.

"You did what?" She asked, surprised, spinning around in her chair to look at him. "Why would you do that?"

"I'm just trying to give him a chance to see that Stars Hollow isn't full of crazy people." He paused and looked thoughtful for a while. "Isn't that a good thing?"

She hadn't told him about her encounter with Jess and before she had the chance to she saw him making his way towards them.

"Yeah. It's fine. I just thought it was going to be you and me." She hoped that was enough of a save to cover her sudden change in mood.

He smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss. "The rest of the day it'll be just me and you." He smiled at her and she forced a smile back at him, feeling more and more uncomfortable with every step that Jess took.

She looked at him and he looked better than he did the previous day. He was still really bruised, but the swelling was practically gone and the cuts had started to heal. The white cast on his left arm stood out against his tanned skin. And if that wasn't enough, he was wearing a black Anti-Flag t-shirt. It had a bright yellow print of the band name and their Gun Star that covered the whole front side of the shirt. It was hard not to notice him.

When he sat down, she glanced away, as she felt a blush creep up her face. She felt a bit embarrassed about their encounter yesterday. She knew she had acted irrationally but he hadn't helped the situation at all. In fact he had made it worse.

"Hi," Dean said brightly when he was seated. "This is my girlfriend, Rory," he said as he gestured toward her.

She sat with her arms crossed over her chest. It was obvious that she was still angry about what happened yesterday. Jess realized she hadn't told Dean about their meeting and for some reason that pleased him. Jess smirked and held out his hand towards her. "Hi, I'm Jess."

After a few seconds of hesitation she reached out and shook his hand with her smaller one. When she tried to pull her hand back he gripped hers harder and held on until he could see worry in her eyes. Before he released her, he ran his thumb over the back of her hand and was delighted when he saw her blush intensify.

His smirk grew bigger when he saw her panicked eyes dart around the diner and finally land on her boyfriend, who was busy studying a menu. She drew a relieved breath.

After they had ordered their food, Dean started telling Jess about Stars Hallow. Jess tried not to listen. The town was even weirder than he imagined. They seemed to have a festival or celebration for every occasion. Jess couldn't understand why people would willingly live in such a joyous place.

When Luke delivered the food, he looked pleased that Jess had made two friends. Rory was a good kid and if she willingly chose to spend time with Jess, he couldn't be all that bad either. Luke was beginning to worry over the fact that Jess didn't talk to him about what had happened. As soon as he brought it up Jess would clam up and Luke grew more desperate. They needed to talk about everything but gaining Jess's trust would be hard, but he would do whatever was in his powers to help him. So to see him sitting with Dean and Rory was a relief and he couldn't help himself from trying to pick up what they were talking about. It could be something he needed to know so he busied himself with refilling salt and pepper shakers. The diner was practically empty so he could hear what they were talking about.

When Dean had worked through half of his burger, he looked up at Jess. "How can you like punk?" He asked, motioning towards Jess' shirt. "It's just noisy, blaring instruments and people screaming. No talent."

Jess was quiet for a while and even Rory was curious to see what his answer would be.

He shrugged, "Maybe I find beauty in things that aren't perfect. Nothing is."

Rory looked at him, hiding her surprise badly. He just smirked at her. Apparently she didn't think he was able to have "deep" thoughts.

Shortly after that, Dean excused himself, explaining the he needed to use the bathroom. Immediately, Rory started fidgeting with her coffee cup and looked everywhere but at Jess.

"I got something for you." When she didn't say anything, he sighed and dug something out of his back pocket. He took out her copy of Howl and slid it towards her. She picked it up and looked at him, surprised.

"You stole my book?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.

He shook his head. "No I **returned** your book. You left it at the bridge." She was a feisty one and Jess liked it. It gave her a personality that would not be overlooked easy. He had no doubt that she could hold her own in a conversation.

She looked at him, not convinced. "You've been nothing but a jerk since you came here and now you just want to return my book. Why?" Her eyes narrowed. "Why not just throw it in the lake?"

"What did Allen Ginsberg ever do to you?" He shot back, surprised. "Why would you even suggest throwing it in the lake? That's blasphemy." He smiled a small smile at her. "I just thought I would put some notes in the margins for you."

Now she really looked shocked. When she flipped the small book open, her eyes widened.

"You've read this before." It was a statement, not a question.

He shrugged. "About forty times."

She looked up at him and for the first time, smiled at him. He felt a lot of mixed emotions. Some pride, he guessed, that he had been able to make her smile; but at the same time, he wanted to run away, because emotions were bad and should be avoided at all cost. Still, he couldn't help the small voice in the back of his head that kept reminding him that he wanted to jump her bones right then and there.

"I thought you said you didn't read much." Her voice broke his reverie.

"Well…what is much?" He said, with his trademark smirk in place.

A mischievous look crossed her face. "You're very mysterious, Dodger."

"Dodger?"

She had a challenging look on her face now. "Figure it out." She said, as Dean walked out of the bathroom.

Immediately, his brain sprung into action, searching through his mind's archives for a Dodger. By the time Dean reached his chair, it clicked.

"Oliver Twist." He studied her as she turned in her chair. She smiled and nodded her head.

"Jess, you like to read too?" Dean asked.

"Yep." Even though he had reverted back to being Mr. Monosyllabic, his head was racing. Rory was different from other girls. Hell, she was different from anyone he'd ever met. At least so far, and he couldn't help but be intrigued by her. Jess was never one for wanting something serious with girls but he always enjoyed a good chase. That might make time pass quicker and help him enjoy his time here.

The phone in the diner started ringing and Luke crossed the diner to answer it. "Luke's."

When Jess heard the voice on the other end, he froze. The person was screaming so loudly that Luke had to hold the phone away from his ear. There was a lot of background noise and Jess recognized it as the laundry room.

"Hi, big brother!" Luke froze too and looked over at Jess, who was sitting at the counter, all color drained from his face. She was slurring but she sounded cheerful.

"Have you talked to Jess recently? He's living with you now, right?"

"Yeah he's here. Why?" Luke held out the phone towards Jess to see if he wanted to talk to her.

They shared a look and Jess shock his head.

"If you talk to him, can you tell him to drop by? He still owes me a lot of money. For rent and food and things like that"

Both Rory and Dean had guessed that it was Jess's mom that was on the other end and they both looked over at him. He just sat there, still really pale. He was aware that they were looking at him but he couldn't do anything, so he just sat there.

"Um, Liz." Luke tried to get her attention but his eyes were glued to Jess. He did not need this right now and this might make him build up his walls even more. So far, Luke hadn't been able to tear them down, not even crack them a little. All he had gotten out of Jess so far were a few huh's and ok's.

"Bob said that it would be a good maturing process for Jess if he had to pay for his ways."

Jess had heard enough. Before anyone had a chance to stop him, he stormed out of the diner. He could hear Luke call out his name but he didn't care; he just needed to get out.

"Oh and tell him that his British friend stopped by a few days ago. Looked bad."

* * *

Jess walked around, aimlessly, trying to reason his thoughts and get rid of some of the tension that was building up inside him. He had never let Liz affect him this much. Ever since she'd thrown him out, he felt like something was missing. There was no fancy explanation; he was just broken, plain and simple. He had broken the one promise he'd made with himself, to never let her or any of her men break him. God, he was pathetic.

Jess Mariano was always fighting against the world and every time it fought back just as hard. Always throwing something new at him. It could be anything from a drunk and high mother who, often, was so out of it, she failed to recognize her son. There was always a new man in the apartment that would hit him just because he was bored. And then there was the whole going days without food thing. One thing was clear: every time Jess and the world fought, he would lose and come out of it emptier. He was afraid that one day, he'd come out as that empty shell he always promised himself he'd never become.

After walking around the town, twice, he spotted a store and went inside. He glanced around and saw that is was almost empty. Walking up to the drink aisle, he spotted their selection of beer. Right now, he just really needed something to take the edge off.

He felt humiliated. Terry was the only one that knew about his mother and the way she failed to care for him. Now Dean and Rory had overheard her. Bring on the fucking pity party.

Jess stood behind Luke's with the six-pack but he couldn't bring himself to open it. Liz was the one who turned to alcohol; not him. After smoking a cigarette, he left the beer by a trashcan and peered through the diner window. Once he saw Luke walk into the kitchen, he quickly escaped upstairs, so he could be alone.

The first thing he did was call Terry, again. But like his previous attempts, he got no answer. Now he was really worried.

Jess spotted Luke's wallet on the table in front of the couch. Glancing at the closed apartment door, he picked it up. He found a hundred dollar bill and two twenties. This was the first time he felt guilty for stealing something. Especially after Luke had taken him in, without questioning anything. But if he decided to go back to New York and check on Terry, he could use it. Otherwise it wasn't hard to put the money back. After not being able to get a hold of him for three days Jess knew something had to be wrong.

He walked into the bathroom to take a pill for the pain. In his anger, he had failed to notice how much his body was hurting. The doctor had said to take it easy, and power walking through town angry as hell probably wasn't the best idea.

Deciding that a warm shower might relax his aching muscles and calm his temper, he wrapped his cast in plastic and undressed.

* * *

When he walked out of the bathroom he found Luke waiting by the kitchen table.

"Jess, can you come here for a second?" He looked like he wouldn't take no for an answer, so Jess walked over and sat down.

"Do you want to talk about anything?" Luke was desperate to know what was going on inside his nephew's head.

"Nope." He even shook his head to emphasize his point.

"We need to talk about things."

"No, we don't. We don't need to talk about anything!" Jess was losing his patience again.

"Jess…" Luke was pleading with him now. Hoping he could get anything he could work with.

Jess cut him off, "I'm here, okay? We don't need to have a heart to heart about all the crap in my life."

Luke wasn't one to give up. He would get through the walls Jess had put up, even if he had to get a imaginary sledgehammer and tear every wall down himself. So Luke plowed on, determined to get in.

"Was that the first time Bob hurt you?"

Luke felt divided. On the one hand, he really didn't want to hear the answer to that question, just the thought of anyone laying hands on his nephew made him nauseous. But on the other hand, Jess was his responsibility now and as a parent he needed to know what was going on in his life and what had happened to him in the past. All he wanted to do was make everything better for him, but Jess refused to believe in him.

"I've never seen him before that!" Jess stood up and started pacing around the small room, gesturing wildly with his arms.

"Jess, has this happened to you before?" Luke's voice was calm and soft, like it had been at the police station. It made Jess even angrier, it was a reminder of his breakdown at the police station.

"What do you want from me? You want me to make a list all of her boyfriends that hit me? You want to hear about all the times I had to make sure she didn't choke on her own vomit or how I had to drag her to bed? Would that make you happy?"

"Yes!" Luke yelled out before he could stop himself.

Jess voice matched Luke's when he answered. "Well too bad for you. I'm done talking, so why don't you go back down to your stupid diner and start serving your stupid fucking costumers!"

Jess walked towards the door and when he had reached it, Luke spoke again.

"Liz said that your British friend stopped by and apparently, he looked really bad. I don't know what that means but that's what she said." Luke saw how Jess tensed up.

"Do you want to talk about that?" He pushed on.

"No!" He started to walk away, again, and Luke let him. When Jess had screamed at him, he had opened his walls a little. As Luke suspected, it had happened before. Once Jess calmed down they needed to talk again because Luke needed to know when all of this had started. For now, he had to be satisfied with the information he had gotten.

* * *

Jess' whole body was tense as he walked down the street. If Terry had come looking for him and he had looked bad, something was wrong. He knew that Terry's father had been drinking more than usual lately and he also knew that there was no way in hell that Liz had let him take refuge in the apartment.

This was bad. Really bad. He couldn't think straight. All he knew was that he needed to be in New York right now and not Stars Hollow.

Quickly, almost running, he walked to the nearest bus stop he could find. Once he was on the right bus he took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. Not once did he glance back.


	6. A cry for help

Disclaimer: I still don't own Gilmore Girls and their character.

* * *

Jess firmly believed that riding the bus was the only way to travel. Sure, he'd never been on an airplane, but he was pretty sure that he'd hate it. Being that high up wasn't appealing. Plus, if you fly to your destination, you arrive there faster than if you take the bus. While that might be appealing for most people, it did nothing for him.

He cherished the longer rides. That was when he wrote. As soon as he sat down, inspiration would hit. And this time wasn't any different.

He would shut out the rest of the world and focus on the one he was creating on paper. Grabbing both the paper and pen he knew were resting in his pocket, he began to lay the groundwork for his story. The words came easily and the story started to form.

This time, he was writing a short story that in many ways reflected his own situation.

The story revolved around a man named Dylan in his late twenties. He was reflecting back on his life and the journey that had brought him to where he was today.

* * *

_It was dark outside. There were no clouds in the sky and you could see all the stars and even a small part of the moon. Despite what people might think, stars don't really light up the sky. _

_I was walking home, the same way I always walked after spending most of the night at Mark's. It wasn't the quickest way home but I always favored it because it would take me to a store that stayed open 24 hours a day. The routine was to stop by there before walking home and restock on cigarettes so I could face the bitch without going crazy. _

_It had been a pleasant enough night, I think. Some parts were a little fuzzy. We had all been drinking and I remember getting frisky with Amber in the bathroom. Even though I didn't really remember it, I was sure it had been pleasant. That was the Amber guarantee. We often turned to each other when we were looking for a good time and were too lazy to find someone new who could please us. It might sound cold but it worked just fine for us. Neither of us were looking for something serious._

_After a minute or so of pointless chatter with the clerk in the store, I walked the last block home. I couldn't see any lights on but I didn't expect her to be up and waiting for me. She never was. Even though I always acted as like nothing could affect me, it hurt me every time my own mother blamed all of life's failures on me. Some days, I was desperate to find something I could do that would make her even remotely proud of me. But nothing seemed to work._

_I walked into the empty apartment and turned on the light in the kitchen, hoping we had some sort of food. It turned out I was in luck. Inside the fridge, I found some leftovers that looked like it had been mac and cheese at some point. If you don't have a lot of money, you can't really afford to be picky about your food. As long as things hadn't started to grow on the food, it was fine in my book. _

_Grabbing a fork, I decided against using a plate. Instead, I opted for leaning against the counter, eating straight out of the pot. Why complicate things if you can avoid it, I always said. _

_On the fridge I could see a picture of my mother and father. The latter I had never met. They looked happy and were embracing each other. It was obvious that my mother was pregnant and about ready to burst. The whole picture was a fucking lie and I couldn't understand why she insisted to keep it. What made it even worse was that she had named me after him. Dylan. I hated the name and I hated him._

_By the time I was born, my dear father was on his way to another city to start a new life. Apparently raising a child was not something he wanted to try. He was just interested in doing the horizontal mambo that came before the child did. _

_These last fifteen years had been hard for me. My mother was never shy about her dislike for me. According to her, it was my fault that my father had left. She liked to point out that if I hadn't been born, he would still be here with her. _

_I didn't bother washing the pot when I was done; no need to wake her if I could avoid it. When my head hit the pillow, I immediately sobered up. After tossing and turning for the better part of an hour, I gave up. Sleep was deluding me at the moment. _

_I opened my window and crept out onto the small platform that accessed the fire escape. The cool night air was welcoming and I lit up a cigarette. Nicotine was something that always calmed me down. _

_For the past few weeks I hadn't been able to sleep through a night. I was always tossing and turning and when I woke up I was covered in sweat. Something needed to be done because I couldn't keep living like this. The last time I actually had spoken to my mother was two weeks ago and we were still living in the same apartment! She had screamed at me for coming home drunk. It wasn't something a sixteen-year old boy should do. The she hit me with the classic: "Your father would not stand for this."_

_I had just sighed and walked way, slamming my bedroom door behind me. _

_Staring up at the stars I realized that I was ashamed. I wanted us to have a real mother – son relationship and I knew that it was me who needed to do something. She was too proud and filled with hate to reach out. If I could make her proud of me, be more like the ideas she had about my father, then maybe we could connect. _

_The only thing I could think of was to graduate high school and get into a college. I was on my way to slowly flunking out and that was bound to strain our relationship even more. _

_That night I made a big decision. I would do everything in my power to graduate. No more running around late at night, drinking myself shitfaced. I had to save our relationship._

* * *

He didn't put down his pen until the driver announced that they would be arriving at the bus station shortly. He glanced at his watch, now on his right arm due to the cast and saw that it was almost seven and he'd been writing for three hours straight.

Luke should have noticed that he was gone by now. He felt bad for not leaving a note but he thought it'd be better if he didn't. This way he was giving his uncle a chance to get a clean break from him and his mother. Jess could see that Luke was a good guy and he didn't deserve to be brought down by someone like him or his mother. They were both inevitable failures.

Sure, it would have been nice to have a father figure like Luke and for a few moments he even played with the idea of staying with him for a longer period of time; but he knew he couldn't do that, not until he was sure that Terry was okay. And even after that, the chances were small. Instead, he and Terry could get an apartment together somewhere in the city and work crappy jobs. It would be worth it as long as they were safe.

When he stepped off the bus, he didn't feel like he was at home. He was too wrapped up in his emotions. All that mattered now was making sure his best friend was okay.

Luke walked up the stairs with a plate in hand. He hadn't seen Jess since their talk in the kitchen and he wanted to try again. Neither of them could start moving on until it was all out on the table. There were a lot of things they needed to talk about- Liz, Bob, her other boyfriends. He had made him a hamburger and some fries, hoping that Jess would be more willing to open up if he offered him food.

He opened the door and called out for Jess but didn't get an answer. Thinking that he might be sleeping, he searched through the apartment but found it empty. He stood by the couch and put the plate down on the table. That's when he saw his wallet lying open on the table. Curious, he looked through it. Empty. He was staring to panic and looked for any signs of Jess. All his things were still in the apartment but deep down in his gut, Luke knew he had left.

Without thinking, he stormed out of the apartment and down the stairs. Before he left the diner, he went into the kitchen and told Caesar to close up immediately.

Caesar sprung into action without arguing or questioning why. He saw the worried look on Luke's face and with everything he'd been through the last few days, he knew better than to argue against Luke's orders.

Rory and Dean, who were having dinner before their movie, were ushered out with everyone else.

"What do you think that was about?" Dean asked her.

She glanced at Luke, who stormed past the bus stop and continued down the street, swinging his head in every direction, desperately trying to find someone or something. She guessed that it was someone.

"I don't know but I'm guessing it has something to do with Jess." Luke disappeared around a corner and she turned back to Dean. "Should we ask if we can help?"

Dean shook his head. "No, I don't think Luke would want to trouble us. Let's just go to the movie."

* * *

Jess swiped his MetroCard and hopped on the right train. The trip would just take a few minutes and he grew more anxious the closer he came. If he believed in any God, he would've prayed for Terry's safety right about now. But he didn't, so instead, he just hoped that everything would be fine and that there was an explanation as to why he hadn't picked up the phone.

When the train stopped he walked the way out of instinct. It had started to drizzle outside and he was thankful that his leather jacket was keeping his upper body dry but the coldness and the rain still made his body react. His cracked ribs were screaming at him to get inside, get warm and stop with the fucking power walks. But he ignored his body and pushed on.

He could see Terry's building now. It'd be warm in there.

He broke into a jog and swung the door open, taking the stairs two steps at a time. When he reached the right apartment door, he banged his fists against the hard wood. When no one answered, he tried to force the door open but it was locked. He tried banging again and called out for Terry. Jess lost track of time and became aware again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Someone was speaking to him. He spun around fast and came face to face with two guys that were two years older than him. Their names were Jack and Deron and they used to run around the town together, all four of them. Until the day Jess had found Terry convulsing on a bathroom floor. That was when Jess had become fiercely protective of Terry. More often than not he took better care of Terry than himself. Jess had promised he would hang out with Terry that day but he hadn't had the energy to go outside. One of Liz's boyfriends had beaten him so he had slept for most of the day, only going outside just before midnight. When he found Terry in that bathroom he blamed himself. He believed that if he had been there, it never would've happened.

Jack and his cousin Alex, a known drug dealer in the neighborhood, lived a floor above Terry.

Jack was the one that had his hand on Jess' shoulder He spoke up. "Where you been Mariano? We heard Liz kicked you out."

Jess wasn't the least bit interested in catching up. "Where's Terry?"

They both looked at him with wide eyes. "You don't know?" Deron asked, surprised.

"Know what?" Jess' heart was racing. It felt like it would leap out of his chest any moment now.

"My cousin told me the cops were here two days ago. Took Terry away from his parents and after the police left they packed up and left too. Haven't been back since then, as far as I know."

At Jack's words Jess almost fell to the floor. "What?" It came out as a whisper. His throat constricted and he tried to swallow the lump that was forming.

"I thought Terry would've told you. We all know the two of you are inseparable." Jack offered him what was supposed to be a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, but it was clear that there was nothing sympathetic about it.

"Where did they take him?" He felt so tired now.

Deron and Jack shrugged. "You can ask my cousin, he hears everything. But you have to crash somewhere else. I'm only doing this because I'm tired of feeling guilty about what happened in that bathroom."

If that was all Jess could get, then he would greedily take it.

* * *

Luke had walked around the town twice.

He knew Jess was gone.

He had known ever since he saw his empty wallet on the table, but it was still his responsibility to look for him. Someone had to. Luke was sure that he had gone back to New York and thought about calling Liz, but it just didn't make any sense. If Jess went back to New York, it wouldn't be for Liz. It couldn't be. Why would he return to her?

When he walked by Doose's, he ran right into Lorelai.

She turned around and was surprised to find Luke there. "Hey! Why did you close Luke's so early? I didn't even get a chance to have dinner or pie or coffee. And you know I need my coffee!"

He didn't look at her or answer her. He just kept walking. Lorelai looked around in surprise and walked fast to catch up with him. She put her hand on his shoulder to stop him and turned him to face her. He looked tired and really worried.

"Are you alright?" Her heart went out to Luke. He had not been himself since the police had called him and it was obviously tearing him up.

"Jess is gone." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"What do you mean? Gone where?"

"To New York. I think." He started to pace on the sidewalk. "What am I supposed to do, Lorelai? I just got him here and now he's gone!"

Without thinking, her natural instincts took over and she went straight into mom-mode.

"Have you called Liz? Maybe he went by there."

He shook his head. "He wouldn't go back there."

She led him towards the now empty diner. Once they got inside, she asked Luke to sit down and then she walked behind the counter. When she came, back she was carrying two cups, one filled with coffee and one with tea. She sat down and slid the one filled with tea towards Luke.

He looked up at her and took it gratefully.

"Did he ever talk about someone else? Some friend, maybe?"

Her question was met with a snort. "No, he barely talked at all. I tried a few times but he would shut off and ignore me."

She reached over the table and took his hand. "What happened before he left? Did you have a fight?"

"No, we didn't have a fight. I just tried talking to him." He let out a sigh before he continued. "Ok, we did have a fight. We screamed at each other and then he walked out. I haven't seen him since."

He tried to think of something that would make Jess leave. After only spending a few days in the town, he couldn't hate it that much. Not enough that he would leave when he had no other home. Then it came to him.

"His friend!" His raised voice cased Lorelai to jump and spill some of her coffee.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows, "His friend?"

"Liz called earlier today and Jess overheard. It went bad. But she said something about his British friends coming by and that he looked bad. That must be the reason he left!"

"Do you know how to get a hold of him? Maybe Jess is there now."

Luke shook his head. "No, the only thing I know is that his name is Terry."

"Well, then we have to call every Terry listed in New York."

"We can't to that, Lorelai. That'll take hours!"

Lorelai shook her head. "I've got nowhere else to be. And this is more important than movie night." She squeezed his hand to emphasize her point.

Luke looked at her and she looked determined. He knew they were not likely to find the right Terry but she looked more than willing to try. Luke squeezed her hand back and smiled.

"You always find a new way to surprise me." He was sincere and she could see it. It made her breath catch in her throat. It wasn't often that Luke complimented anyone. "You always bring out the best in people and always know what to do", he added when he saw her reaction.

Her eyes widened and she didn't know what to say.

"Thank you." She finally stammered out but it didn't feel like it was enough.

Suddenly, Luke grinned and she looked at him, confused.

"So it is possible to leave a Gilmore speechless." He winked at her.

* * *

Jess was sitting on a very rundown couch in a very rundown apartment. He wanted to leave as soon as possible but Jack's cousin wasn't back yet.

"Heard you got good grades this year. What's your plan? Hoping to get a scholarship to a college?" Jack snickered.

Jess took a deep breath, trying to calm his temper. It would do him no good to punch or lash out at any of them. Not until he got the information he needed.

"I don't plan that far ahead." He said through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah, I remember now. Mariano likes to live by the day. He thinks he's a poet or something." Jess knew that Jack was trying to provoke him. He didn't want to play into his hands, so he clenched his fists, doing everything in his power not to hit him.

"It's better than dealing drugs and leaving in this shit-hole."

"You think you're so smart huh, Mariano?" It was Deron that spoke up this time.

"Well, I'm no Blaise Pascal but I'm probably above average." Jess said this with a straight face but couldn't help his smirk when he saw their confused faces, trying to figure out what he meant.

Just then Jack's cousin, Alex, walked in and Jess was happy for the interruption.

When Alex saw Jess on the couch, he blinked. "Hey Mariano! What are you doing here? Heard you took off with some older guy a few days ago." He walked up to Jess, pulled him into a standing position and embraced him. Alex had always liked Jess, even when things went bad. It was the one thing Jess was grateful for right now. If Alex knew anything about Terry, he would tell him.

"Hey, Alex. I heard you might know where Terry is?" Jess sat down again and touched his throbbing rib. He really needed to sleep and stop moving around.

"I know where he was but I don't know if he's still there." Alex shrugged. "Heard the police saying they were taking him to the hospital. You know the one a few blocks away? They called social services too. I'm guessing Terry is going to a foster home, if they can find one."

"Thanks, man." Jess was on his feet in an instant and out the door in just a few seconds. He could hear Alex calling after him but he didn't have time to stop and listen.

Once he got to the hospital, it took him close to an hour before anyone would tell him what floor Terry was on. When someone finally pointed him towards the right door, he hesitated. He feared the worst. With his hand on the doorknob, he took a deep breath, before he pushed the door open and stepped in.

Terry was lying in bed, propped up against several pillows and smiling brightly at him. His face was swollen and there were some wounds that looked pretty bad but he was smiling and Jess took that as a good sign.

"I knew you would find me!" Terry motioned him to get closer.

Jess pulled a chair closer to his bed and sat down. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Terry's smiled dropped and was replaced by a vacant look in is eyes. He shrunk down in the bed and shrugged, but didn't speak.

"Come on Ter, you can tell me."

Terry nodded and took a few breaths before he spoke.

"My dad got fired again and he started drinking more and more. He was so angry and took it out on me, like he usually does. But this time it was different."

He paused and took a few deep breaths again. His hands were shaking slightly and Jess gingerly took the one that was closest to him, hoping he could offer some support.

"One night he went haywire, so I walked over to your place, thinking I could spend the night there. Liz told me she'd kicked you out and shut the door in my face. I didn't have the energy to walk anywhere else so I just sat there. He found me and dragged me home. You can see the result." He pointed towards his face.

"Now we really look like brothers." It was Jess' weak attempt at humor. In a day or two Terry's face would also look like a rainbow.

"So tell me what happened to you."

Jess told him the story, leaving nothing out. That was what he loved the most about their friendship. They could tell each other everything and neither of them would judge the other one. When he was done, Terry looked at him in wonder.

"Your uncle seems like a nice guy. Are you going back there?" There was a sadness in his voice that Jess didn't fail to notice.

"No, I can't leave you alone. Look what happens when I do." Jess smirked at him.

"You don't look like Prince Charming either." Terry pointed out. "But you should go back to your uncle. They're going to place me in foster care because my parents left. They probably went back to Manchester."

Jess could see that he was holding back tears. He had to do something. There was no way he could leave Terry with a bunch of strangers.

"I'll be right back." Jess said, as he stood up and walked out into the corridor.

He had an idea and he knew that it was a long shot, but it was all he could think of. He found a payphone and put some coins in, dialing the number he had written down on a piece of paper earlier.

When the person on the other side picked up, he took a deep breath before he spoke.

"It's me. I need your help... Can you come?"

* * *

A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry! It's been so long. I've been without internet for over a month now (and that is horrible!) so I haven't been able to check my mail or anything. I hope you'll like this chapter and don't worry, Jess and his writing - it will all lead up to something.  
I will try and update soon but I have a really important exam soon and I need to pass it, otherwise I won't get my student loan. So if there's no update up in a week or two it's because I'm panicking about my exam.


	7. The grumpy mans heart

A/N: A big thanks to everyone who has read the story. A bigger thanks to all you who has reviewed it. I would like to apologize for taking so long to update. Real life got in the way. But now I'm back and things should start running smoothly again. I would like to thank JavaForever who was kind enough to read through my chapter and correct my misstakes. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Gilmore Girls and their characters.

* * *

Luke and Lorelai had worked for almost two hours and contacted over twenty different Terrys in New York. Luke had the pleasure of speaking with a 45-year-old Terry that just had moved out of his parent's basement. He had installed his phone three month earlier but no one had called him, not even his mother or father, so he was ecstatic to finally talk to someone.

They never found the right Terry and gave up. The task was proving too big. Lorelai kept talking to Luke about trivial things, hoping that it would distract him a little from the horrible situation he was in.

"You should really hire someone to help you out in the diner. You've been so stressed lately", she suggested.

Luke shrugged. "I figured that Jess would help me when he felt better."

"He will help you out when he comes back." She tried to sound as positive as she could but even Luke could hear the doubt in her voice.

She knew what it felt like to have an overwhelming desire to leave it all behind. In a way she knew she understood Jess better than anyone else did right now. Although their backgrounds and reason were different, she figured the desire to leave always felt the same. Jess had left and the chances of him coming back were just a little bigger than the chance of Robert Downey Jr. moving into the house next door.

"I have an idea." She said as she remembered something that Rory had told her.

Luke looked at her, slightly curious to what she had in mind. Whenever Lorelai Gilmore had an idea, things were bound to get interesting.

"I know Rory wanted to find a job this summer. She said she could put it on her college application and that she could use the money when she goes to Chicago. Shopping you know."

Luke's whole demeanor seemed to brighten at the thought. "You really think she would like to work here?" He took some pride in that.

Lorelai smiled, proud that her daughter had become so important to him. "Are you kidding? You know how much she like Luke's..." She looked him in the eye and smiled at him before she added, "And Luke."

Just then the phone in the diner started ringing and Luke jumped to his feet and ran over to the wall.

"Jess, is that you?" His heart was pounding in his chest.

"It's me. I need your help... Can you come?"

Luke's felt like the room was spinning. Jess sounded small and afraid, but he had called. When he needed help, he had called! If he had been alone in the diner he might have done a happy dance.

"What is it? Where are you?" The dance had to wait until he had Jess safely back in Stars Hollow.

"I'm in a hospital in New York. I'll explain when you get here." Jess gave him the address and after that he hung up.

Luke stumbled ungracefully up the stairs, grabbed his car keys, and then stumbled back down again barely a minute later. Before he could walk outside Lorelai blocked the door.

"Was that Jess?"

Luke nodded. "He said he was in a hospital. Oh god, what if it's something serious?" Lorelai could see that he was in no shape to drive right now.

"Do you want me to come? You're not thinking straight right now." She was determined not to let him drive up there alone. She could picture several different scenarios, almost all of them ending with Luke in a ditch.

Luke shook his head no; he didn't want to inconvenience her even more than he already had. "No, I just need to calm down." He took a few deep breaths. "You can go home, I'm sure you have work tomorrow."

She tilted her head and looked at him like he was crazy. "Luke, you don't have to go through everything by yourself. I'm here for you if you would just let me."

He considered what she had just said and nodded. "Are you sure?" He really didn't want to bother her anymore than he already had.

"I'm sure. Please, let me help you."

He gave her the car keys and held her hand in his, with the keys still in between them. "Thank you, Lorelai."

"No problem. Just let me call Rory and then we can go." She finished with a smile.

* * *

Jess walked back into Terry's room and sat down in the chair he had vacated earlier. He ran his hand over his face and through his hair, releasing a sigh. Terry was asleep and it gave him a chance to collect his thoughts and to study his friend. They were so different but at the same time, so much alike.

They had the same dark hair only Terry's were straight instead of Jess', which was slightly curly. Terry's hair was slightly longer too; hanging down so it almost reached his chin. It framed his green eyes and square-shaped face perfectly. Most women wouldn't kick him out of the bed. Where Jess' skin had more of an olive tone to it Terry's was paler. Terry was taller too, clocking in at 5' 11" whereas Jess was 5' 9".

He was even paler now when he was lying in a hospital bed and his face was covered in familiar cuts and bruises. But Luke was on his way and, for the first time in a really long time, Jess felt hopeful. Truly and deeply hopeful, at least as hopeful as a bitter and jaded person can be.

Luke could make everything better for both of them. Jess was even prepared to work and pay rent as long as they could stay with him.

* * *

Lorelai was racing down the highway, not caring that she was breaking the speed limit. All she cared about was getting Luke there as fast as she could and she knew that he would have done the same for her if the situation had been reversed.

Luke had fallen asleep and Lorelai didn't have the heart to wake him up. Even though she hated to drive while the passenger was asleep, she knew that Luke needed all the rest he could get. In the past few days Luke had gone from looking like his old self to some broken down clone of himself.

When she could see the skyline of New York ahead of her she decided it was best to wake Luke. She needed him to give her the directions to the hospital. There was no chance that she could find it by herself, at least not in a reasonable time. With the stress from Luke's situation and her own emotional mind she was dreading the drive through New York City. She had never liked driving in bigger cities were the roads were heavily occupied and there were people everywhere. But she was determined to keep calm for Luke. Under no circumstances would she allow Luke to drive right now.

She pulled in at the side of the road and turned the key, killing the engine. Luke jerked awake in the sudden silence.

"Are we there yet?" He looked around rubbing his eyes, trying to get his bearings.

Lorelai shook her head, "I need you to give me directions."

She started the car and pulled out on the road again. As soon as they hit the city she started to regret her decision to drive. There were cars as far as the eye could see.

Luke was holding on for dear life, praying that they would arrive at the hospital still intact. For the first time he was glad that they were heading for a hospital. It seemed like Lorelai's ability to drive like a sane person was reduced during stressful situations. Or maybe she never drove like a sane person.

When he told her to turn left, onto a smaller road, she nearly took out an older lady who was crossing the street with her dog. He decided it would be better if they switched. It wasn't far now. According to Jess directions it was only three blocks from his old apartment. They were close to the police station were Jess had been and from there Luke knew the way.

"Pull in to the side of the road. I'll drive from here."

She did as he asked without question it. If she could avoid driving this stupid pick-up truck she would. That truck was evil and it clearly hated women.

"Good. I hate your stupid truck." She hit the steering wheel for good measure.

"It's not the truck that's stupid. You just have some trouble driving with a stick, but it's ok, not everyone is cut out for the stick." He said as they switched places.

Lorelai glared at him. "If you don't stop talking soon I can think of a few places to put that stick."

Luke held up his hands in surrender before he started the car and drove towards the hospital.

* * *

Jess was still sitting in the same chair he had been occupying the whole night. With every passing minute the hopefulness he had felt earlier started to slip away. In life he had drawn blank and the sooner he accepted it the better. He even felt the moment his sneer attached itself to his face again. He was trying to think of reasonable arguments why Luke would allow them both to stay with him. So far he had only thought of 'out of the kindness of his heart', but to him it felt remote to think like that.

* * *

When Luke and Lorelai finally arrived at the hospital and found the right floor, a nurse quickly pointed them toward the right room. She looked relived that someone finally came for the two lonely boys.

"Thank god someone is coming to take the boys home!" She was practically bouncing out of excitement.

"Take, take them home?" Lorelai inquired.

"Are you not from a foster home? The social services said they would send someone over as soon as they could. Although Terry has to stay at the hospital for a while longer. He has a collapsed lung." The nurse's confused gaze traveled from Lorelai to Luke.

When they didn't say anything her bright smile faltered. "You're not here to take them home are you?"

Luke rubbed his hands awkward. "Eh… We'll see about that." He said as they quickly walked off the where the nurse had pointed earlier.

They walked in silence and when they reached the door Lorelai hugged Luke. "I'll be sitting here if you need me." She pointed to a few chairs by the wall.

Luke nodded and took a deep breath before he pushed the door open. So many things were running through his head but not in a million years would he have expected to see the scene before him.

The first thing he felt was a huge relief. Jess was sitting in a chair and he was unharmed. His eyes traveled to the bed and he guessed that the sleeping boy was Terry. What little strength Luke had left quickly disappeared when he saw the hurt boy and his own nephew side by side. He never wanted to see a hurt child ever again and he felt he needed to do something. This is not how anyone should be living their life. It shouldn't be part of someone's everyday life.

Jess had been studying his uncle the whole time, trying to decipher what he was thinking.

"I guess this is Terry." Luke said as he walked over to where Jess was sitting. Jess nodded.

"That's Terry."

A long and awkward silence stretched before them and Luke was the one that broke it. "Why did you call me Jess?"

Jess looked away from Luke and fixed his gaze on the dully painted wall instead.

Luke sighed when he still refused to talk to him. He was already edgy enough and being in a hospital didn't help. Right now he needed Jess to start talking.

"You called me for help Jess. I can't help you unless you talk to me." Luke pleaded with him.

Jess closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he spoke. "I thought I knew what I was doing when I left." He opened his eyes looked back at Luke. "But everything is falling apart. I don't know what to do anymore." His shrugged and his shoulders sagged.

Luke had already made up his mind the minute he walked into the room. He knew he was acting crazy but he couldn't just stand idle by and do nothing. "Wait right here." He ordered Jess before he walked out of the room.

As soon as the door closed behind him Lorelai was by his side. "How did it go?"

"I'm doing it." Luke kept repeating to himself, making Lorelai even more confused as to what was going on.

"Doing what?" She asked slowly.

Luke gestured wildly with his arms. "It!" He said loudly as he walked back toward the nurse they had spoken to earlier.

Lorelai followed behind him. "What is it, Luke?" Then realization dawn on her. "Oh god. Are you sure Luke? Have you thought it through at all?

"He turned back to her and smiled and shook his head. The smile scared her a great deal. It looked like something the Joker would pull off very convincingly. She was afraid that he wasn't thinking clearly at the moment. He had been under so much stress the last few days and making rash decisions came with stress.

Luke felt like he was on a roll right now and marched right up to the nurse. "Yes, I'm taking them home. Both of them."

* * *

It took a few hours to fill out all the necessary papers and Luke had to be interviewed by someone from the Social Service. They had been reluctant to send someone so late in the evening but the nurse had pressed on like an engine. In the end it looked like it would all work out. If everything went well Luke would be able to pick Terry up as soon as he was fit for travel. When it all was taken care of Luke looked at the clock. It was well past midnight and he knew how tired Jess must be, even if he would deny it.

"Can you take Jess to the motel just around the corner? I called them earlier and booked two single rooms" He said to Lorelai, who jerked awake when he spoke.

"Yeah, sure." She nodded as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She still thought Luke was crazy for doing this but she was too tired to talk to him about right now. She let out a big yawn before she continued. "You're not coming?"

Luke shock his head. "I don't think Jess wants Terry to be alone and I really want him to get some rest. He has cracked ribs for crying out loud. I figured it will be easier to get him to the motel if I'm staying with Terry."

Lorelai admired Luke's determination and his kindness. The grumpy man's heart knew no limits what so ever. Together they walked into Terry's room. When they entered they found both boys awake and deep in conversation. They stopped as soon as they heard the door close.

Before they had the chance to say anything Luke spoke up.

"Here's how everything's going to play out." He said as he raised his hand and pointed to Jess.

"You will follow Lorelai to a motel and get a decent eight hours of sleep."

When Jess was about to protest Luke shook his head.

"No, you stay quiet. You had your chance at talking, now it's my turn. I will accept nothing but eight hours of sleep. I will stay with Terry tonight. After your beauty sleep we will go back to Stars Hollow and there you will start talking to me. And I mean really start talking. You will help out at the diner and you will do so without complaining about it."

Luke took a breath before he continued. "And you," he said as he pointed towards Terry, "You will heal up and then move in with me and Jess in Stars Hollow. You will behave and I expect you to help out at my diner too, without complaining. When school starts back up you will both go there everyday and you will do your homework. Now, does that sound like reasonable demands to you?"

Both boys were speechless and only nodded their heads.

"Good. Now say goodnight."

"So that was your uncle, huh?" Terry asked when the door slammed behind Luke and Lorelai.

"Yep." Jess said as he watched the closed door in awe, not quite believing in what had just happened.

* * *

"You ready to go?" Lorelai asked as Jess walked out of Terry's room. He nodded his head and they both said goodnight to Luke and walked out of the hospital.

The motel was just around the corner so they decided to walk. It quickly became awkward but neither of them said anything. They were both to wrapped up in private thoughts to care about awkwardness.

Lorelai was surprised to see a younger woman at the reception of the motel. She had been expecting the classic greasy haired old man you always saw in the movies. The woman smiled at them as the approached and her eyes stayed on Jess longer than what was considered normal. Jess didn't help the situation by throwing her a lazy smile while he looked her up and down.

"Hi, I'm Amanda." She said pushing her chest out slightly, still looking at Jess.

Lorelai cleared her throat to get the woman's attention again. "Hi Amanda!" She said overly cheery. "We have reserved two rooms under Danes but I wonder if it's possible to change that to a single room with two beds?"

Jess shot her an angry glare. He had been hoping to relive some tension and pent up frustrations tonight and he certainly couldn't to it with Lorelai in the same room.

Lorelai just smiled sweetly at him, pretending not to notice his anger. She saw the look in his eyes and she knew what he had been thinking about. She had been his age once and over her dead body would she allow that to happen.

Amanda continued to throw glances at Jess as she typed something on the keyboard, oblivious to what Lorelai's request meant. "We have one room but it's really small." She finally said.

"Perfect!" Lorelai said and quickly paid for the room, dragging Jess away by his uninjured arm.

"My shift doesn't end until 5 AM!" Amanda called after them.

Lorelai turned back towards her and smiled. "Thanks Amanda. That's real nice of you but we're really tired tonight."

Jess muttered something inaudible and Lorelai figured she was better off not hearing what he had said. Once they were inside their room Jess twisted out of her grip and turned to stare at her.

"What the hell was that?"

She was taken off guard by his harsh tone but she quickly recovered. "That was me being an adult and making an adult decision. Don't you think I know what would have happen if I let you have your own room?" She could feel her mom-mode kick in once again.

"You're not my mother! I don't need your making decisions for me." He spat out and turned towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked as she blocked the door.

"Out." Was all he said as he tried to move her out of the way but she was stubborn and wouldn't budge.

She shock her head. "Oh no, you're not. You're going straight to bed, you still need to clock eight hours." She said as she pointed to one of the two beds.

Jess shrugged his shoulders and took out a cigarette from his pocket. Before he had the chance to light it Lorelai threw it in the trashcan. That was the last straw Jess decided. She was driving him mad, destroying every good plan he came up with.

"Go. To. Bed" She said, emphasizing every word.

"What the hell is your problem? You're not the boss of me!" Jess was furious and right now he just wanted to hurt her. He was good at hurting people. It came naturally for him, sometimes even when he really didn't want it to.

"And you're not so big." She snickered at her own clever comeback before she got serious once again. "Don't do it because I told you to, do it for Luke. After everything he did for you tonight."

Jess sneered at her. "That's the best you can do? Pulling the guilt card? Or are you going to tell me a teary story about how teenage sex is dangerous? You are Rory's mom right? You have to be an expert on the subject." He knew it was a cheap shot and he regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. And by Lorelai's hurt face that surfaced for a few seconds before anger took over, he knew he'd hit home.

Lorelai was shocked. Beyond shocked even. "How dare you?" She yelled at him. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this insulted.

They both went to bed without saying anything else. Morning couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

When Lorelai woke up she was still fuming. She looked over at Jess and saw that he was still asleep. The clock was almost nine so he had slept for almost eight hours so she figured that Luke would accept that. As quietly as she could she got dressed and then walked over to the radio that was on a table by the window. She turned up the volume to the max limit and then put one hand on the on button and with the other hand she grabbed the blinds that was blocking the sunlight. At the same time she turned on the radio, praying there was a bad song playing, and pulled up the blinds. She was in luck. Britney Spears and sunlight filled the room.

Jess jerked awake and Lorelai smiled in victory.

They both arrived at the hospital shortly after that. Luke was waiting outside Terry's room. He looked unhealthy perky, like someone who'd slept really well. Lorelai quickly decided that it was unfair.

He got up and greeted them. "Morning. I assume you're both well rested."

When Jess didn't say anything Lorelai sighed under her breath. "Yes, a solid eight hours." She was too tired to talk to Luke about what had happened. It would have to wait until she had slept even more, preferably in her own bed.

Jess was on his way into Terry's room when Luke stopped him. "He needs to rest. He was in some pain tonight and they gave him some fancy medicine so he could sleep. Undisturbed."

Jess looked unsure. He wanted to at least tell Terry goodbye before he went back to hell.

Luke handed him a piece of paper. "He wrote you this. Now let's get moving, I need to go back to the diner. I don't trust Caesar to run it two whole days without instructions. For all I know he could have turned it into a taco place."

That caught Lorelai's interest. "Oh, tacos! Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea Luke."

Luke smiled at her. "You could be persuaded to invade Canada with the promise of food."

Lorelai pretended to think about it for a while. Finally she shrugged her shoulders. "If it's really good food, then yeah."

The drive home was unusually quiet but Luke didn't seem to notice it. When they stopped outside the diner Lorelai practically threw herself out of the car and almost ran home. She just wanted to see her 'teenage mistake'.

Luke stared after her confused. He would never understand that woman completely, but she continued to intrigue him and fascinate him.


	8. The lonely Oscar Wilde

A/N: School has slowed down and my muse has returned with a lot of inspiration. This chapter has something that this story has lacked so far: Rory and Jess sitting on the floor, talking and eating. I want to thank everyone who still reads this story and a special thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. Also, thanks to JavaForever for correcting my mistakes. Please, read and review!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Gilmore Girls and their characters. I do own a wicked pair of comfy sneakers though.

* * *

When Lorelai walked through the front door, she saw Rory sitting on the couch reading. The sight brought a smile to her lips. More often than not this was what greeted her when she came home. She walked over and sat down next to her daughter.

"Hi hon, what'cha' reading today?" Rory didn't say anything until she had finished the page she was on. When she was done she closed the book and showed the front cover to her mother.

"Oh 'Swann's way' of course, good book I just finished it last week."

Rory rolled her eyes at her mother and let out a laugh. "You read Proust? Nice try mom, was that before or after you won a Noble Prize?"

"Before, of course." Lorelai said like it was obvious. "Well it was worth a try at least."

When she looked at Rory again she was practically bouncing on the couch. Lorelai looked at her with a tilted head and a big smile. "What?" She asked slowly.

"Tell me what happened in New York! Is Jess all right? Is he back?" She looked concerned and Lorelai couldn't help feeling a little worried. That kid was going to be trouble, she just knew it.

Before answering Rory, she thought it through carefully. She finally decided to leave out the part about their big fight so she starting telling her about their grand adventure in New York. When she was done Rory was mesmerized.

"Wow. So Luke is really letting this Terry move in with them too? How are they all going to fit in that small apartment?" She had been up there a few times so she knew that it was a very small apartment. Especially for one quick-tempered grown man and two teenage boys.

"Maybe they'll do a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?" Lorelai said laughed at her own reference and Rory joined in.

"Yeah, I can really see Luke sleeping in the same bed as two teenagers." Rory said sarcastically, but as soon as the words left her mouth both girls adopted a disgusted expression on their face. "That sounded better in my head." Rory quickly added.

Lorelai was quiet for a while, trying to decide if she should bring up the job offer or not. She didn't feel completely comfortable with the idea of Rory working so close to Jess, but Rory really wanted a job and Luke really wanted her to work there.

"So listen, were you serious about getting a job for the summer?" She finally asked.

Rory turned to face her mother fully now. "Yes I was, it would be great to earn a little extra money and it's something you can put on your college application. Why?"

"I think it's great that you want to work and getting experience is really good. I talked to Luke and he needs help at the diner so I told him I would talk to you about it. Is that something you might be interested in?" Lorelai couldn't help but feel a bit torn up about the whole situation.

"Are you serious? Work in the land of coffee? Of course I'm interested!" Rory squealed and stood up. Working at Luke's would be fun. "When can I start?" She asked excitedly.

Lorelai didn't say anything and Rory didn't need a psychic to see that something was wrong.

"What is it?" She asked and looked at Lorelai with concern.

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Are you sure you want to work at the diner?"

Now Rory was confused. "Why wouldn't I want to work there?"

"I mean with Jess working there too. It might be awkward because Luke is just getting to know him and I just don't want you getting in the middle of that. Their relationship is strained at best right now and in a few weeks a friend of Jess' is moving in with them." The argument was partly true so she wasn't lying, she just didn't tell Rory the whole story.

Rory was deep in thought for a while. "I still want to work there," she said with determination, "Maybe it will help if Luke gets a chance to relax a little bit every once in a while. And think about the opportunities mom! Every time Luke refuses to give you coffee, I can give it to you. You've got someone on the inside now." She finished with a smile.

Lorelai thought about it for a while. Luke wouldn't let anything happen to Rory, she knew that, and the possibility of getting coffee whenever she wanted was too good to pass up.

"Then you can talk to Luke before he gives the job to someone else." She said before she could change her mind.

Rory reached over to her mother and hugged her tight. "Thanks mom!" She picked up her book and walked out of the front door.

Lorelai sat down in the couch, silently praying that she hadn't made a mistake by letting Rory work at the diner. But she trusted Luke to keep her safe; he loved that kid more than he loved himself. Finally the sound of the phone ringing brought her out of her reverie. Before she could reach it the machine picked it up and she sent a quick prayer to her lucky star when she heard the voice on the other line.

"Lorelai, this is your mother. I hope you know it's rude to leave town without telling your immediate family about it. What if something had happened and we needed to reach you? Would you really want Rory to go though that alone? Anyway I'm calling to let you know that we are leaving for Europe in three days, because that's what family does, and we would like you have dinner with you and Rory before we leave. We expect you tomorrow at six o'clock. Don't be late - it's rude."

She sighed and fell down on the couch. "Longest message ever, mother!"

* * *

Rory was pacing back and forth outside the diner. She cursed herself for not putting on some more professional looking clothes before she left the house. No one applies for a job in ordinary jeans and t-shirt! She knew Luke had practically promised her the job but it still felt wrong and she was really nervous. She had never applied for a job before and she wanted to do it right. The diner was almost full and that didn't help her nerves either. She took a deep breath and opened the door and walked in. It was now or never. Luke was running around with plates in his hands trying to deliver them and at the same time trying to take new orders. When he walked back behind the counter to take money from a customer she saw her chance.

A flustered Luke appeared by her side, pen and paper in hand ready to take her order. "What can I get you?"

Rory took a deep breath and looked up at him. "A job hopefully."

By pure instinct he wrote down what she said. "Coming right up." He disappeared into the kitchen and Rory looked around, confused. Was she supposed to follow him? Had she gotten the job? She was just about to follow him and ask when he returned.

"You really want the job? The pay isn't all that great." He figured it was for the best to be honest with her.

Rory smiled. "I really want the job Luke."

Luke smiled right back at her before he glanced around the full diner and then back at Rory. "Can you start right away?"

* * *

Rory had been working for almost two hours and was wiping the counter when Lorelai walked in. The rush from earlier had died down. "You know, when you called to tell me that you were working I almost didn't believe it." Lorelai said as she sat down by the counter, staring at her daughter in fascination.

Rory smiled and shook her head. "Why are you surprised? You're the one that told me about this job." She pointed out.

"Yeah, well I just had to see it to believe it." She said as she fished out a digital camera and snapped a picture of Rory. "Look at you, my little working girl!" Lorelai laughed as she watched Rory wipe down the counter.

Rory rolled her eyes at her mother and her antics.

"Can I get a coffee to go?" She asked when she was satisfied that she had a good picture.

Rory pretended to think about it for a while and then shook her head firmly no.

Lorelai gasped and feigned shock. "You would cut your own mother off? Two hours working here and you have already turned into mini-Luke. Do you feel a sudden need to wear flannel and a backward baseball cap?"

"Keep mocking and I'll cut you out for the whole summer and I'll tell Luke to do the same. It shouldn't be hard to convince him." Rory tried to keep a straight face.

"Fine, I'll stop. Just give mommy some coffee." Lorelai relented. "And make it to go please, I need to be at the inn."

Rory nodded as she poured the coffee. "Good thing I got a job then so I'll have something to do while you work late." She handed to coffee to Lorelai. "Coffee's on me this time." She smiled.

Lorelai grinned. "You're once again proving that you're my favorite daughter." She said proudly.

"I keep finding new ways to cut ahead in the pack. Your other daughters are slackers." She glanced at the watch. "Aren't you supposed to be at the inn in ten minutes?"

"Shoot! Watching you work is distracting. I'll be home really late tonight so don't wait up hon. Oh, and we're having dinner with the grandparents tomorrow. Bye!" Lorelai finished before she almost ran out of the diner.

"Bye!" Rory called to her mothers retreating back.

"She's a fast walker, your mother" Luke observed, standing next to Rory.

"It's an art for her." Rory agreed as they both watched her walk away.

The dinner rush started shortly after that and Rory and Luke worked efficiently together. By the time Kirk walked in things were running too smoothly. This was the universe way of putting things back in order.

"Hey Kirk, what can I get you?" Rory asked as she walked up to him, pen and order pad in hand.

Kirk looked confused when he saw her. "Hello Rory. Why are you taking my order today? You're not supposed to take my order."

"I'll be working here this summer. Now what can I get you?" She said with a smile.

"I didn't know Luke was hiring. I would have loved to work here." Kirk looked sad. "Luke and I get along very well, you know. Mother will be disappointed I missed out on this opportunity." Kirk said with some disappointment in his voice.

Rory knew that Kirk was a special kind of special, but still, she had naively thought that getting his order would be easy when she first walked up to him. He usually was manageable; you just needed to make him focus.

"I'm sorry to hear that Kirk. So what can I get you?" She was trying to get his mind back on food. Maybe he needed to spend one night in the Gilmore house. After that, food would be on his mind constantly.

"Can you get me a job here?" Kirk asked hopefully.

"I can't do that Kirk. You have to ask Luke about that." Rory realized her mistake the moment Kirk stood up and marched over to Luke.

Luke turned ten shades of red during the conversation. Kirk said something and Luke suddenly looked up at Rory. She mouthed an, 'I'm so sorry' and hoped that he could read lips.

* * *

As soon as Lorelai arrived at the inn she walked into the kitchen. She knew Sookie would be there, waiting for her, and she really needed to talk to someone about what had happened in New York. She hadn't decided if she should talk to Luke about taking on another kid, the Jess situation and the fact that Luke could not be prepared for any this. So fresh eyes on the situation was exactly what she needed.

In the kitchen she was met by chaos. Cakes and other baked goods covered every table and counter, flour was covering the floor like white dust and Sookie was standing bent over a book mumbling incoherently to herself.

"Sookie, what's going on?" Lorelai looked around stunned. Everything looked delicious and sure Sookie was known to have a breakdown every once in a while but this took it to new heights.

She jumped at the sound of Lorelai's voice and looked around the room, flailing her arms around. "Did you know that we've had the same deserts for years now? We have ordinary deserts! Deserts you can find everywhere."

"But people love our deserts." Lorelai tried pointing out as she moved into the room.

"How can they not, when we haven't showed them what can be done? We need to be outside the box Lorelai. We need fun and exciting desert! So I decided to bake everything I knew and now I need you help to decide what is exiting." Sookie explained, like it made all the sense in the world and gave Lorelai a spoon.

Lorelai gasped and looked around once more. "Sookie, we can't possibly taste all this. We will explode."

Sookie nodded. "That's why I called in all extra staff." She explained and now she was almost jumping in excitement.

Lorelai quickly decided that her situation could not get any worse with cake and other baked goods so she just smiled at Sookie. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"All great chefs are crazy." Sookie said and smiled. "And now, before everyone arrives, you need to tell me what happened in New York." Lorelai looked surprised, she had forgotten to call Sookie and tell her she was going to New York. In all the haste she had only called Rory.

"Miss Patty picked up some of the calls you and Luke made in the diner and then she saw you drive away in his car. We put two and two together." Sookie explained when she saw Lorelai's confused look.

Lorelai started telling her what had happened, this time including the Jess situation. While she was retelling the story she could feel her earlier anger starting to come creeping back.

"You should have seen his face when he said that to me. I've never wanted to punch a kid so much before. I don't think that little punk is capable of feeling things." Now she was fuming again. "Luke didn't notice anything different. It felt like the longest drive ever. Oh! And now Rory is working in the diner. The same diner where that little punk is living!"

When she was done Sookie was quiet for a while, trying to think of a good way to phrase what she was about to say. She knew Lorelai would not want to hear this, especially from her best friend. When she didn't say anything Lorelai grew impatient. "What Sookie?"

"What he said was horrible and you have every right to be angry about that." Sookie said fast before taking a deep breath. "But I can kind of see where he's coming from."

"What?" Lorelai said, now truly shocked.

"His mother kicked him out, picking an abusive guy over him. Over her own son! He was shipped off to another town where he's been treated like an animal in a circus. I think he's just frustrated."

Lorelai sighed heavy. "Maybe your right. But I'm still talking to Luke about it."

"As you should. What he said was definitely wrong." Sookie was quiet for a while, thinking about something. "So Luke has gone from a bachelor to a father of two in just a few days? How is he handling everything?"

"Stressed. I don't think he's slept a whole night in days." Lorelai said as she walked up to a cake to begin the testing.

* * *

Rory had quickly fallen into a routine and learned how the diner worked and she had been busy with the dinner rush. Now when the diner was almost empty she found herself glancing at the curtain, wondering what Jess was doing at the moment. She hated to admit to herself that he fascinated her. The time they had spent together had been very short but in that period he had managed to piss her off to no end just to surprise her moments later. When Lorelai had been in New York she had spent her time reading through Howl more times than she could remember. His notes were not what she had expected and she felt herself more drawn towards him, wanting to see how else he could surprise her.

He was something new. He was something that had been missing in Stars Hollow until now. She always cared about what people thought about her, especially in this town, but Jess seemed so different. He gave the impression of only caring about himself, and his friend. Something that made him even more interesting. Late at night she sometimes wished that she could have the same carefree spirit and not have to constantly care what everyone would be thinking about her. On rare occasions when the town's crazy got to be too much for her she had a desire to go wild just for a short while without being judged.

She was still staring at that stupid beige and white-checkered curtain when Luke walked up to her and put down a plate. "I'm making some brownies and muffins and can't really leave the oven for too long. Would you mind taking that up to Jess? He hasn't eaten any real food today."

Her eyes widened and she looked up at Luke, hoping he hadn't caught her in her daydreaming. He looked stressed and didn't show any signs of having seen her not-so-secret staring and she let out her breath in relief.

"Sure Luke." She stood up and felt nauseated. Starting up a conversation with a new, cute boy was not something she was good at. And she had no idea how Jess would behave but she felt herself move towards the curtain, plate in hand.

"And you can go home after you're done. You did great today." Luke voice made her jump and she looked back at him and smiled.

The stairs seemed to go on forever and she changed her mind every other step. There were butterflies roaring in her stomach. She cursed herself for being nervous and she almost turned back down the stairs once she reached the last step. Why was she so nervous?

No sounds came from the apartment and she was worried that he was asleep. The last thing she wanted was to disturb him because he should probably be resting. But she didn't want his food to get cold if he was awake so she finally decided knocked on the door. Three fast and quiet rasps on the door later and still no sounds could be heard so she knocked again, harder this time. Something fell to the floor and she could hear a grunt from the other side of the door. In blind panic she threw open the door, thinking Jess most have fallen and hurt himself. Inside she saw a huge pile of books on the floor and Jess standing shirtless with both his arms raised above his head, trying to get his t-shirt on.

A blush crept up her face and she averted her eyes. "Oh, sorry!" She stammered.

Jess sighed. "A little help, please. The stupid cast is stuck in the shirt."

Rory quickly put down the plate on the table in the kitchen and walked up to Jess. Her eyes glanced over his exposed chest and she could feel the blush intensify and she was happy that his shirt covered his eyes. His chest and stomach was toned but not overly muscled and she couldn't help but noticed how his muscles played when he moved or breathed or how the olive hue she had seen on his arm were also present on the rest of his body. With tentative hands she reached out and tried to untangle his arms from his shirt. Her hands grazed against his firm arms and she felt like her face was on fire and her hands electrified. After some struggling she managed to pull his shirt down and his face became visible.

"Thanks." Jess said as he bent down and started to pick up some of the fallen books.

Rory saw a lot of books that she loved in the pile and joined him on the floor. She picked up his copy of 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and smiled.

"Wow, Oscar Wilde." She flipped to book open and quickly skimmed some of his margin notes.

Jess smirked. "What? Didn't think I would read Wilde?"

"No. I'm just happy to find someone who enjoys reading him. When I was younger I used to borrow his books from the library just so they wouldn't feel lonely." Rory confessed and she could feel her cheeks color slightly.

Jess smirk grew into a smile and as he raised one eyebrow and looked at her. "Is that so?" He asked as he stood up and walked over to the kitchen. When he got back he was carrying the plate in one hand and had two sodas trapped between his cast clad arm and his stomach.

"You want some of the food?" He asked as he sat down next to her again and gave her a soda. She looked uncertain and glanced from him toward the plate. "I can't eat all that by myself. My appetite hasn't returned in full force quite yet." He lied, hoping she would stay longer. The truth was that he was starving and could probably eat twice as much but he wanted her to stay a little longer.

"If you're sure." She said uncertainly. "But I'm leaving the burger for you. I'd be more than happy to help you with the pie though." She smiled as she took some fries.

"Deal." He held out his hand towards her and she accepted his as they shook on their deal. Rory felt the same electricity in her hand that she had felt moments before when she had helped him with the shirt.

They ate in silence until Jess's curiosity took over. "Why are you the one who's bringing me food? I was expecting Luke."

"I got a job at the diner for the summer and Luke was busy downstairs." She shrugged and grabbed a few more fires, dunking them in ketchup before shoving them in her mouth.

"Huh." Jess said as he ducked his head an amused smirk playing on his lips. Maybe working in the diner wouldn't be so horrible after all.

When they had finished eating Rory continued to sort through the fallen books. Jess just sat beside her and looked on, grinning at her giddiness over his books. Rory was happily surprised to find a lot of books that she had read and loved and even more that she wanted to read but hadn't had the chance to yet. "I'm borrowing this one." She exclaimed with almost every book she put back into the bookshelf.

"Just be sure not to throw them in the water." He joked and earned a glare form Rory.

When she picked up new books from the floor he studied her and took advantage from his angle on the floor. She had a very nice body he quickly decided. He found himself looking forward to the summer for once. Working in close quarters with Rory should be fun. It had the makings of a really great summer, in a more manly way than Grease of course. He would have hours and hours to get closer to her, get under her skin. Maybe accidentally get looked in together in the storage room. Then there was the fact that Terry would be living in the apartment too. All and all it was a concept that, in his eyes, couldn't fail.

Once all the books were in their place on the shelf again Rory admired them. It was an impressive library, even bigger than hers. She walked along the shelf, dragging her finger along the spines of the books, biting her lip in concentration; a sight Jess found extremely sexy and for a long while he was unable and unwilling to look away.

"You have even more books than I have. I'm impressed." She turned and smiled towards him.

"I'm glad I can impress someone for once." Jess said quiet and looked away. He could hear her trying to form a word then hesitate and try again. He knew he had said too much. It had been meant as a joke, but it had come out more closer to the truth than Jess would have liked and felt comfortable with.

Rory thought he was joking at first, but when she saw the look in his eyes it became obvious that it was not a joke. For a long time she struggled to find something appropriate to respond with. Jess was staring at the floor and she was glad that he didn't see her internal struggle. "So how was it living in New York?" She asked after finally deciding to change the topic somewhat. Secretly she was hoping that he would surprise her again.

Jess let out a breath, thankful that she hadn't questioned his slip. "It was ok."

Rory let out a puff of air, slightly disappointed with his answer. "That's all you have to say about living in New York? Not a man of many words, huh?"

Jess grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "I prefer to think of myself as mysterious."

Rory pretended to think about it for a while. "Yeah, mysterious might work but I would also like to add irritating." She was smiling for real now. "Or perhaps shy. Oh! Is that it? Are you scared of talking to girls Jess?" She added with a challenging look, daring him to start talking. Rory had no idea where her sudden courage came from but she went along with it.

Not being one to be out challenged Jess played along and put his hand over his heart and faked a hurt look. "I am truly hurt that you don't believe me." A smirk threaten take over his face and he tried to fight it and stay serious but failed after a few seconds. "I am anything but shy. If you'd like I can show you just how un-shy I am." He finished with a wink. Rory knew that he was joking but that didn't stop her breath from hitching just a little bit in her throat or the red hue that took over, spreading fast over her cheeks. Jess noticed it and smirked. Yep still have it, he thought before answering her and ending her misery. "Living in New York was..." He trailed off. When he didn't continue Rory sat down beside him on the floor again and looked at him. He looked unsure as to how to continue and she waited patiently for him to continue when he was ready. "It was both great and really bad. I'll definitely miss the vibe and all the noise. It's too quiet here." He scrunched his nose for effect.

Rory looked at him like he had gone crazy. "It's too quiet here?"

"I can't sleep." He offered as a simple explanation.

Rory looked even more confused now. "You can't sleep when it's quiet?"

Jess sighed and looked at his watch. "The clock is now 1:25 PM and it's completely quiet. In New York there's always sound and life around you. It's only quiet when something bad has happened."

There he goes surprising her again. She had a hard time trying to pin him down. But in some strange and twisted way it pleased her that he had confided in her, even if it was just a little bit. Suddenly his words sunk in and she understood what he just said. "The clock is that much?" Panic spread across her face like wildfire. "My mom is going to freak out and I need to go home. And Dean! I had plans with Dean today and where's Luke?"

"Rory!" Jess said, trying to get her attention. "Calm down." Jess looked around him in the small apartment like he expected Luke to be there somewhere. When he didn't see him anywhere he shrugged. Rory turned to leave and he followed her down the stairs. They walked past the curtain and found Luke sleeping in a chair, his head resting on a table, snoring loudly. Rory turned to Jess and smiled before she sneaked past Luke, leaving Jess behind to deal with his sleeping uncle.

* * *

Lorelai had called the house a few times when she was working and hadn't gotten an answer. She called out for Rory when she entered the house but found it empty and shrugged it off as Rory being out with Dean. They were probably out watching a movie. While flipping through the mail she walked to the answering machine and saw that they had three new messages. The first one was one from herself reminding Rory that she was going to be late and could eat without her. The last two were from Dean, one calling to see if she could be ready for their date at 8 instead of 7 and one that said that she should call when she gets home since she had missed their date.

Panic spread through her and she really hoped that Dean had been able to get a hold of Rory and that they were out together right now. She was exhausted and sat down in the couch, trying to figure out what her next move should be. The next thing she knew the door slammed shut and she jerked awake. Realizing she had fallen asleep she called out for Rory while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Rory walked into the living room and Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief. "Where have you been Rory? You know that you're supposed to call me if you're going to be late."

Rory looked guilty and sat down next to her mother on the couch. "I'm sorry. I just forgot about the time."

"Did you and Dean have a good time?" Lorelai asked and covered a yawn with her hand.

Rory looked unsure and looked at the floor, biting her lip nervously. "I wasn't with Dean."

Suddenly Lorelai didn't feel tired anymore. "Where were you? Didn't the two of you have plans today?" She probed her daughter.

"I was with Jess." Rory confessed.

Lorelai's eyes bugged for a moment. "You were with Jess? Why?" Her voiced rose slightly as she processed the information.

"Luke asked me to bring him some food and we talked for a bit. I just forgot about the time, I'm sorry." Rory looked at her mother apologetically. She did feel terrible that she had forgotten about Dean but she figured if she could just explain what had happened to him then he would understand and hopefully forgive her.

"You forgot about time because you were talking with Jess?" She asked again, having a hard time processing what Rory had just told her. "So much that you forgot about your date with Dean?" She clarified.

Rory nodded her head, feeling horrible. "I'm the worst girlfriend ever! I forgot about my boyfriend."

Even though Lorelai wasn't happy about what Rory just had told her she couldn't stand to see her daughter like this. "Oh honey, you're not the worst girlfriend ever. Things like this happen sometimes. I'm sure Dean will understand."

Rory just nodded her head. "I'll call him tomorrow." She said after a while. "I'm going to bed now. "Goodnight mom." She kissed Lorelai's cheek and walked towards her bedroom.

"Hey, where was Luke?" Lorelai asked in what she thought was a pretty casual and relaxed voice.

Rory smiled. "Oh, we found him asleep down in the diner."

When Rory had closed her door Lorelai took a deep breath and tried not to worry about what had happened. She was praying that Rory was just being her friendly self but she had a bad feeling that something were about to happened soon.

Once Rory had closed the door to her bedroom she immediately picked up her copy of Howl and crawled under her covers to let Jess surprise her again. A content smiled played on her lips.


	9. Markers, Movies & Motives

A/N: This chapter took me a bit longer. I went home for a while because my parents were getting married! This chapter has some drama and I had really fun with it so I hope you guys will enjoy it as well. A thank you to all who reads this story and to those of you who review. Also, thanks to JavaForever for correcting my mistakes. Please, read, review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Gilmore Girls and their characters. I do own a wicked pair of comfy sneakers though.  


* * *

  
A loud annoying beeping sound woke her from a very pleasant and strangely stimulating dream. She had been having a very serious debate with Hillary Clinton and Burt Reynolds about the best way to use markers and what color they should be, depending on the subject of course. In the end she had sided with Hillary since she, as a politician, probably had more experience than Burt when it came down to markers and their usage.

She sighed and looked at the clock and it was flashing back 8.00 in big angry red numbers. It took her a moment to remember why she had decided to wake up so early since she was on her summer break. Then she remembered that she had to work today and she suddenly didn't feel tired anymore. If she would allow herself to think about the reason she knew the answer had something to do with Jess only she couldn't put her finger on what exactly and for the moment she decided not to go there. For now she was simply excited about going to work, it was easier that way and she had no desire to be confused by her own thoughts today or anytime soon.

After putting on her clothes she went into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee, knowing it would draw her mother downstairs. Sure enough, halfway through her first cup, Lorelai sat down with her own cup.

"Morning hon, why are you awake so early?" She yawned.

"I'm working today." Rory smiled.

Lorelai studied her daughter and the bright smile she had on her lips. "So you like working there huh?" Yesterday hadn't made her feel any better about her decision to let Rory work there but she didn't want to ruin the experience for her. The first job was an important experience and she would likely remember it forever.

Rory nodded her head. "I do. It's going to be a great summer." She got up and kissed her mother on the cheek. "I have to go now and I'm probably spending some time with Dean after work so I'll see you later if I don't see you at the diner."

"Bye, honey." She said absentmindedly. During the night she had made up her mind about talking to Luke and now she was trying to figure out what she would tell him. She figured that it would be impossible to talk Luke out of taking on both boys but she still felt like someone should tell him how insane all of this was. It would be no walk in the park. She would also tell him that she would help him, no matter what, even if she didn't like Jess very much at this moment. With a heavy sigh she went upstairs to get ready for what she guessed would be a very long day.

* * *

Rory walked into the diner and found it half full, or half empty, depending on how you looked at it. Being an optimist she decided that it was half full. When she entered Luke smiled at her and she went behind he counter, grabbed the coffeepot and started refilling customers empty cups. She was surprised at how natural it felt. "Coffee?" She asked as she stopped by Miss Patty's and Babette's table.

They both looked up and smiled at her. "Sure, honey." Miss Patty said. " So Rory, we heard you're working here for the summer." She continued, lowering her voice. Her words were only for Rory and Babette's ears, looking for the latest gossip.

Rory smiled as she refilled their cups. "Not only will it look good on my college application but I'll earn some extra money." She answered, not noticing Miss Patty's tone.

"That's great, sugar." Babette said as she and Miss Patty leaned forward towards Rory and motioned for her to come closer.

"Have there been any new juicy updates about Luke's nephew?" Miss Patty whispered once Rory were close enough.

"What happened in New York?" Babette added a moment later.

"Oh." Rory started, feeling cornered. The image of Jess standing in the middle of the diner with everyone staring at him was still freshly etched into her mind. "I don't really know anything. Sorry." She quickly added before walking away to another table.

* * *

Lorelai walked into the diner almost an hour after Rory had started working and sat down by the counter looking around, trying to spot either Rory or Luke. She waited for a few minutes, humming to herself, and when no one came to serve her she walked behind the counter and filled a cup of coffee. When the cup was empty and no one had come to take her order she looked around the diner. Finding Kirk finishing off his breakfast she called out to him, "Hi Kirk. Have you seen Luke or Rory?"

"Morning Lorelai." Kirk answered politely after swallowing his mouthful of eggs. "I think they went upstairs a while ago."

"Thanks Kirk." Lorelai said before disappearing behind the curtain and up the stairs. The door to the apartment was slightly open so she walked right in without knocking.

"Luke? Rory?" She called out as she entered.

The first thing that became apparent was that neither Luke nor Rory were in the apartment at the moment, unless they were hiding in the closet or in the bathroom, which she seriously doubted. Instead she was met by Jess clad only in a pair of boxers. For a short moment she froze, her eyes traveling over his hurt body and she was unsure how to act. She knew it was bad, from what Luke had told her and from what could be seen from his face, but even his chest, legs and arms had some cuts and bruises.

"Do you mind?" Jess snapped when she didn't look away and he realized that she was staring at his wounds.

Startled, Lorelai turned her back towards him so he could put some clothes on. She thought about walking out of the apartment but she needed to get a few things off her mind first.

"What is it with your family and seeing me without clothes on?" Jess muttered under his breath while pulling a shirt over his head and buttoning his pants.

Lorelai heard what he did and turned 180 degrees, glaring daggers at him. "What did you just say?" She asked, venom evident in her voice.

"Nothing." He spat back at her. "It just seems like your family likes getting a free show." He just could help himself from adding the last part.

Lorelai scoffed and shook her head. "What is your problem? Is Frank Booth your personal hero and role model?"

Jess rolled his eyes. Being compared to a psychopath was something that had happened before. "What do you want?"

"First off I want you to be more grateful. Luke is doing a really nice thing for you and your friend." Her eyes narrowed. "Second, a nicer attitude could really get you a long way you know. Keep people from wanting to kill you."

Jess glared at her. He knew that she was right, about everything but having someone telling him what to do was something he had a problem with. For the better part of his life he had been this way. It didn't matter if it was teachers, his mother or anyone else - he just wouldn't listen. It went against every fiber in his being.

When she got no answer she turned around and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

After her run in with Jess, Lorelai walked back down the stairs. She was still looking for Luke and hoped that he and Rory had appeared again. Her search turned out to be short lived. As soon as she made it past the checkered curtain Luke appeared by her side, looking very confused. "What were you doing behind the curtain?" His eyes traveled from her to the curtain like he couldn't believe that she had just walked through it.

She sighed heavily, figuring it was best to grab the bull by its horns. "I was looking for you actually. Is there somewhere we can talk in private? Normally I would suggest upstairs but under the circumstances I don't think that would be appropriate."

"Ok." Luke answered uncertainly. "We can talk in the storage room." He added before he started off in the right direction.

He racked his brain in an effort to figure out what he could have done to cause the look on Lorelai's face. At times like this he feared her. She was like a lion at the savanna, carefully stalking her prey.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Rory." He called over his shoulder and received a mumbled 'ok' from Rory, as she was concentrating on refilling peoples coffee and taking peoples orders. Luke held the door open for Lorelai and closed it behind them. She stood with her back towards him and he waited patiently for her to turn around and begin the process of, what he guessed would be, her ripping him a new one.

Lorelai took a deep breath and turned around to face Luke. "We really need to talk." Her voice was calm and collected and it made her proud that she wasn't freaking out just yet. She didn't want this to end in a screaming match between the two of them.

"I figured." Luke said. "About?" He prompted her carefully when she didn't say anything.

How could he be so calm after everything that had happened during the last couple of days? She didn't know if she should be impressed and asking him for advice or if she should feel frustrated. But staring at Luke's calm expression seemed to open the floodgates and the anger she had felt during the past days started to come back. She clenched and unclenched her hands.

"Are you serious?" She asked Luke sarcastically like had suggested they put babies on spikes and sell them. "Hmm." She pretended to think. "Do you want to start with how crazy you must be for taking on not one but two out-of-line teenage boys? Or how about how incredibly rude Jess was to me? And to end it all, how about how you can't be ready for any of this!" She set her jaw and let out a breath, so much for being calm and not making this into a screaming match.

Luke's eyes widened in surprise by the end of her speech. "Have you gone completely crazy?"

She shook her head. "No, but you have."

To her surprise Luke started laughing, real crazy person laughing. He even bent over, clenching his stomach, trying to stop laughing. "You're right." He finally said once he had gotten his breathing under control. "My life has changed a lot in the past few days but what would you have me do? Turn my back on two boys who could really need someone right now? You saw them both in the hospital, Lorelai. They both have been beaten and I'm guessing that has been going on for a while now. I can't just close my eyes and hope that they'll somehow make it."

Her expression softened at his words and with his determination and she was close to crying. What Luke was doing was really wonderful and great and she had let her anger get in the way of seeing that. Who was she to try and talk sense into him? She knew that she was overreacting and that she needed to cut them all some slack. "You're right Luke. They both need you right now." She said once she had collected herself again.

Luke smiled when she spoke and looked at her seriously again. "Now, what did you say about Jess being rude? Did he say or do something to you?"

Lorelai hesitated. She didn't know if Luke would gain anything by knowing about their blowout. Sookie was probably right; Jess had been going through a lot, and not just in the past few days, and she couldn't even imagine how he must be feeling. Some acting out was to be expected. Hell, she remembered acting out for far less serious reasons when she was his age. Finally she just shook her head. "It was nothing important. Just forget about it."

"Sure." Luke said and he was suddenly very interested in examining the floor and the can-filled shelves. Lorelai could see that he had something to say and that he wasn't sure how to say it. She let him take his time and get to it at his own pace, so she stood there patiently waiting for him to continue.

Finally he gave a big sigh and searched for her eyes again. "Do you think I'll be able to do this? Handling them both, I mean?"

He looked so vulnerable and she felt her heart break for him. Luke was always doubting himself and never giving himself enough credit. "I'm certain that you can do it. Terry and Jess are the luckiest boys in the world right now." She closed the distant between them and gave him a hug. "You're super Luke." She whispered in his ear.

Luke gave a small chuckle at her comment and held her tighter. He couldn't help but smell her hair as he held her and suddenly he realized how close she was. His heart picked up its pace and he felt small tingles spread though his body, praying that Lorelai couldn't hear his pounding heart. It was overwhelming, so he released her and stepped back two small steps and immediately started to miss her warmth. He cleared his throat and replied with a husky, "Thanks," and looked away.

Lorelai was flustered after the hug and took a deep breath, glad that Luke was looking at something else rather than her blushing face.

"My offer still stands. If you ever need help with anything at all I'm here for you. I'm always here for you." She said when she felt in control of herself and trusted her voice again. "Now, how about some breakfast? I'll let you try and convince me to eat something healthy." She asked, trying to lighten the tension around them.

* * *

Jess began to drift awake again around one in the afternoon and he groaned out loud. After Lorelai had left he had started to feel really tired again and, since he had nothing else to do, he slept some more. Sometime during his nap he had bundled up the cover in a ball and rolled on top of it. The result was a big lump directly on his cracked ribs. Pain shot through him with every little breath he took and he tried holding his breath. In one swift movement he rolled to the edge of the bed and got up. As soon as his feet hit the ground his legs almost gave out, and he reached for the wall to grab onto to keep from falling. He tried to get his ragged breathing under control so he could walk to the bathroom and take a pill for the pain. But every time he tried moving away from the wall his legs threatened to give way. He looked longingly towards the bed, now seemingly miles away, and realized that he was stuck. Stuck leaning against the wall, only taking small breaths of air, in a slightly bent position, as it didn't hurt his ribs nearly as much as sitting or standing up tall.

Jess had no idea how long he had been standing there when the door opened again. This time it was Rory that walked in and she was carrying a plate with some sort of food by the looks of it. And for the second time that day Jess found himself standing in nothing but a pair of red and black striped boxers in front of a Gilmore girl.

"Oh!" Rory said as her faced flushed bright red and she turned around. "I'm so, so sorry. I'll just leave your food here and disappear."

"Wait." A low and raspy response came from Jess and stopped her dead in her tracks. Her back stiffened but she didn't turn around.

"What?" She carefully asked, back still turned towards him.

"I can't move." His simple explanation came.

Now curious, she turned around and looked at him. She ignored the blush she felt intensifying as her eyes traveled over his body and she couldn't help but take in the sight of him once again. Both her face and her stomach felt like they were on fire and for a brief moment she decided that he should always walk around without clothes on, until she realized how ridicules her own thoughts were. She braced herself and walked up to him. When she was closer she became aware of the wounds on his body and she wondered how she could have missed them before.

"Why can't you move?" She asked when she was standing right in front of him, now even more curious. He was in too much pain to be snarky or sarcastic at the moment.

"Pain." He settled at as a good enough explanation as to why he was currently mimicking the hunchback of Notre Dame, doing a very good job if he said so himself.

"Oh. What can I do? Do you want to get back to the bed?" She asked and he nodded his head slightly.

That was everything she needed to know. She carefully placed one of his arms over her shoulders and let him lean against her while they carefully walked towards the bed. He slowly sat down and she piled up some pillows against the frame of the bed.

"Where are your pills?" She asked while he tried to get comfortable.

He tilted his head and looked towards the closed bathroom door and Rory hurried off in that direction immediately. Once inside the bathroom she let out a breath she had been holding and leaned against the sink. Her hands were shaking slightly and her face was still flushed. Again she chose not to dwell on the reason why and just focus on collecting herself. That was the first time she had seen a boy with so little clothes on, outside a movie, TV or magazine. A good looking boy too. But that wasn't the sole reason for her feeling unnerved. For the first time, his body really registered in her mind and she couldn't help but noticed the cuts, bruises and scars that were present. She quickly came to the conclusion that he must have lived through situations like that before and she almost felt bad that her life had been so good while he had been forced to suffer. It wasn't fair.

His pills were in an orange bottle on the sink so she grabbed it and walked out to the kitchen in search for a glass and filled it with water. When she returned to Jess he was sitting, propped against the pillows she had arranged earlier reading a book, grimacing in pain. He put it away and accepted the water and one pill, which he quickly swallowed.

"Thanks." He said and handed her the empty glass and the bottle back.

"Why did you read if it hurts you so much?" She asked him in a serious tone.

"Bored." Came his simple answer.

Rory nodded her head and went into the kitchen again and filled the glass once again before returning. She put both the glass and the bottle of pills on his bedside table. "It never hurts to be prepared." She said when he frowned at her. "This way you wont get stuck leaning against a wall."

"Thanks." He simply said again.

"How long does it take before they kick in?" She asked after some silence passed between them.

Jess shrugged at her question. "Half an hour maybe."

She sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the book that he had been reading and flipped through some of the pages, skipping the printed words, just reading his neat margin notes. When she put it down again she smiled. "Catch-22, good choice." She approved. "I see you've read it before." She couldn't help the smile she wore. Most people didn't understand her interest in books. Jess just nodded his head. With a sigh she put the book down and got up from the bed and walked over to the table were she had left his breakfast. "Luke made you some pancakes." She put the plate down on the bedside table and turned to leave. When she reached the door she turned around and looked back at him. "Eat up." And with that she was gone again.

Jess sighed and leaned his head back against the pillow. Rory was certainly strange and very different. He couldn't wait until he could move around more freely so he could really use his charms on her. She wouldn't know what hit her, he thought with a smirk on his face as he dug into the pancakes.

* * *

A few hours later, Jess was on the verge of going crazy. Lying in bed reading books was something he normally liked doing but even that got boring after two days of doing nothing else. The pill he took earlier had kicked in and he could move around without flinching now. He got dressed and opened the apartment door, listening for any sounds coming from the diner. It sounded like it was empty or close to. All he could hear was a quiet mumble. He hesitated for a while before deciding to go downstairs. The town would have to get used to him at some point, best ease into it, he thought, and the sooner they would stop staring at him, the better. When he reached for the curtain the stopped and listened but he could only hear one quiet conversation and no forks hitting plates so he assumed he was safe to enter. He walked into the diner quietly and saw that it was empty, except for Rory and Luke who were talking and doing something by the cash register.

"Huh. So that greeting I received last time was just to welcome me to the town. I feel so special." Jess said, announcing himself, effectively drawing the attention of both Luke and Rory.

"I can go get Kirk if you want. I'm sure he'd be willing to take some more pictures of you." Rory looked up at him and smiled.

Jess pretended to think about it for a while, stroking his chin. "Nah. It wouldn't feel the same when it's forced." The side of his mouth twisted upwards and he took a seat by the counter.

"Stay clear of Kirk. Just a little friendly tip from me to you." Rory said as she leaned on her elbows on the other side of the counter, across from him.

"I think I can hold my own against him. He doesn't have any upper body strength." Did she really believe that Kirk would win a fight against him? His manly pride was close to being wounded.

Rory laughed out loud. "I have no doubt that you would win in a fight against him." She quickly agreed. "It just takes a certain amount of patience to deal with Kirk; patience you don't seem to possess."

Jess nodded his head when he understood what she meant. "Thanks for the warning. I'll try and stay clear from crazy Kirk."

Luke looked on, smiling when Jess joked with Rory. It felt great seeing him more relaxed and he suddenly knew that Jess would be just fine. It might take some time, but eventually he would be just fine. Getting away from New York was the best thing that could ever happen to him, even though the circumstances were horrible.

"You can quit for the day if you want Rory." Luke didn't want to disrupt their conversation. It was good for Jess to spend some time with Rory and if they became friends it would be great. He could only imagine what kind of people he used to spend time with in New York.

"Ok. Thanks Luke." She walked around the counter.

"Do you guys want something to eat?" He added when Rory had taken a seat by Jess.

"Sure." Jess shrugged and Luke disappeared into the kitchen. The bell above the diner chimed and they both turned around in their chairs to see who it was. Dean's happy voice followed as he walked up to the counter. "Hey." He said and gave Rory a quick peck on the mouth. Jess had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes or grimace at the scene before him. Talk about passionless. It looked more like routine than passion.

"Hi. Sorry about last night. I was here and I just forgot about the time." She figured it was best to apologize right away. She really wanted to avoid a fight in front of Jess and Luke.

Dean smiled and kissed her again. "No need to apologize. I understand." He assured her. "Hi Jess. How are you?" He asked when he noticed Jess sitting besides Rory.

Jess nodded his head as a greeting. "You want something to eat?" Luke asked Dean when he delivered Jess and Rory's burgers.

"I could eat. I'll take a cheeseburger, thanks." Luke nodded and disappeared into the kitchen again. "So how do you like the new job?" Dean asked Rory.

Involuntary she took a deep breath and glanced at Jess before answering. Jess noticed and smirked, causing Rory to look down and blush. How did he always notice when she was looking at him? She decided that he must have some sort of superpower and she made a mental noted to ask him about it later when they were alone again.

"I like it just fine." She said and looked over at Dean, hoping that he wouldn't notice her colored cheeks. "I work in the land of food and coffee, what's not to like?" A smile spread across her face.

Jess laughed out loud, drawing the attention of both Dean and Rory. "You're a strange girl." He offered as an explanation.

The diner was in a strange and rare lull and no one had walked in for almost an hour now. After making them each a cheeseburger and some fries, Luke decided that it was the perfect time to try and fix one broken plate on the stove and leave the kids alone. Rory was occupying her time with refilling the ketchup bottles and salt-and peppershakers while talking to Jess and Dean. "Are you ready to go?" Dean asked after he had finished eating.

Rory nodded her head and finished her coffee. "I'm ready."

Dean looked over at Jess. "Do you want to join us? We're just going to watch a movie."

Jess looked over at Rory, trying to figure out if she was ok with it. Not seeing any protesting he shrugged. "Only if you promise to protect me from crazy Kirk." Jess smirked, causing Rory to laugh out loud.

"I promise." She said, her eyes glittering with laughter. They made their way outside and when Jess reached the door to the diner he turned around, looking back into the diner.

"I'm going out with Rory!" He yelled loud enough for Luke and everyone outside the diner to hear. He had left out Dean's name on purpose; he just couldn't stop himself from teasing Rory.

Rory's cheeks colored red and he couldn't help but smirk when they did. She had picked up on his double meaning it seemed. Dean must not have understood or just didn't care that he was messing around and Jess wrote that down as a good thing. It would make things easier if he wasn't the jealous type. There were more people moving around outside the diner and they all stopped, turned and stared as Jess walked by. It wasn't a situation he felt comfortable with. He figured that he now understood how animals at zoos felt and he swore never to visit a zoo again for as long as he lived.

When they reached the right building Jess looked around, slightly confused. "This is a movie theater?" He couldn't stop himself from asking even though he knew it would paint him as a big city snob.

"It's probably not as fancy as you're used to in New York but it has its charm." Dean said and took a hold of Rory's hand, leading her inside.

"Come on Jess! Don't be such a movie snob." Rory laughed and turned back to look at him.

Jess shook his head and followed them. "Fine, but if I get kidnapped by crazy hill folk I want you to come and look for me."

Dean and Rory both laughed at him. "Fine, we promise to come look for you if the crazy hill folk get a hold of you. But who knows, you might end up liking them." Dean joined in and joked back at Jess before moving away to get snacks and sodas.

"I've heard that they're good people." Rory continued the charade, trying her best to keep a straight face.

Jess walked up close, standing face to face with Rory. "No. Hill. Folk." He said, pointing out every word. They both chose to ignore the feeling that came with the closeness. No one said anything about the butterflies that suddenly roared to life in their stomachs. They both turned away and pretended that nothing had happened. Rory was scared of what she felt. Jess was just scared to feel anything at all. When feelings got involved, things always got messy and he always came out as the loser. Besides, they had just met and anything new is always exciting. It would die down in a few weeks anyway.


End file.
